Russia – Second anniversary of the death of Alexei Navalny (16 February 2026)

Two years after the death in prison of Russian political opposition figure Alexei Navalny on 16 February 2024, France once again pays tribute to his commitment to a free, democratic Russia.

France holds the Russian authorities fully responsible for Alexei Navalny’s death and calls for an independent, in-depth investigation to be conducted to shed full light on the circumstances of his tragic end.

It also continues to deplore the sentencing a year ago of Alexei Liptser (five years’ imprisonment), Igor Sergunin (three-and-a-half years) and Vadim Kobzev (five-and-a-half years), three former lawyers of Alexei Navalny, for “involvement in an extremist organization” when they were only doing their jobs of defending the rights of their client.

France stands alongside all those who courageously defend individual freedoms and the rule of law in Russia. It utterly condemns any violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and calls on the Russian authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.