An outspoken Kremlin critic who was considered one of Putin’s most significant enemies, Navalny died after allegedly collapsing and losing consciousness at a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, the Russian prison service announced on Friday.
Few outside Russia have accepted the official version of events, however, with many believing Navalny was murdered.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the Russian authorities to take responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny and to conduct a full and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances and cause of his death,” the ministry wrote on its website as an explanation as to why Ambassador Sergei Andreev was summoned.
The statement underlined that the inhumane treatment of political prisoners, opposition members and human rights defenders
“is incompatible with democratic standards and constitutes a violation of their civil rights.”
It also expressed the ministry’s concern over
“the growing number of political prisoners in Russia, many of whom are being held in penal colonies in harsh conditions that threaten their health and lives.”
The list includes leading Russian opposition activists Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin.
