On the second anniversary of his attempted assassination, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and criticised Russia’s crackdown on free speech.
Scholz said he spoke with Navalny while he was recuperating in a hospital in Berlin and found him to be a brave man who wanted to go back to Russia to fight for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. Scholz made the remarks in a video message on Saturday.
However, Navalny, who is Russia’s most outspoken opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was instantly detained upon his return.
Russia is also affected by the conflict it began with Ukraine, according to Scholz. ‘Democracy and freedom were already in peril. However, today’s threats to free speech are considerably greater, and many people are reluctant to voice their own opinions.’
Because Navalny was battling for his conviction that ‘one lives best in a democracy and state guided by the rule of law,’ Scholz continued, it was crucial to remember him.
After being convicted guilty of charges including fraud, parole violations, and contempt of court, Navalny is currently serving an 11-1/2 year term. He claims that all of the accusations were false in order to put him in jail and derail his political aspirations.
The 46-year-old was treated in Germany for what Western laboratory tests revealed was an attempt to poison him in Siberia with a Soviet-era nerve agent. He then travelled back to Russia in 2021. Russia disputes its attempt to assassinate him.
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