Suspicions of murder surrounding the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, have gained strength after new reports have highlighted "signs of bruises" on his body. These revelations challenge the version provided by regime officials who attribute his death to "sudden death syndrome."
An anonymous paramedic, who claimed to work for the morgue of the Salekhard district clinical hospital, where Navalny was transferred after his death, informed the independent media Novaya Gazeta Europe that the opponent's body arrived with bruises on both his head and chest.
The health care professional explained that the injuries are consistent with those of a person who was restrained during a seizure. "As an experienced paramedic, I can say that the injuries described by those who saw them appeared to be from convulsions. If a person is convulsing and others try to hold him down but the convulsions are very strong, then bruising appears," he said.
The paramedic also revealed that he found it suspicious that the opponent's body was taken to the clinical hospital instead of the Forensic Medicine Office on Glazkova Street, where the bodies of people who die in prison are typically taken.
"They brought him in, and then stationed two policemen in front of the door. They might as well have put up a sign saying 'something mysterious is going on here!' Of course, everyone wanted to know what had happened, what all the secrecy was about and whether they were trying to hide something serious," he commented.
Meanwhile, world leaders and Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, have declared that the opposition leader was assassinated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. "Alexei Navalny was murdered. We demand that Alexei Navalny's body be handed over to his family immediately," Yarmysh declared.
U.S. President Joe Biden even blamed Vladimir Putin directly during a press conference: "We don't know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did," Biden said.
Happening Now: President Biden delivers remarks on the reported death of Aleksey Navalny. https://t.co/JjtMtrXj8A
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 16, 2024
The European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also pointed to the Russian regime as solely responsible for the opponent's death. Zelensky said: "Clearly, he was killed by Putin, much like thousands of others who have been tortured and suffered because of this individual."
"Obviously, he was killed by Putin," commented #Zelenskyy on the news of #Navalny's death.
"It has just been revealed that Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison. Clearly, he was killed by Putin, much like thousands of others who have been tortured and suffered because of this… pic.twitter.com/DIegq4c95i
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 16, 2024
