The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former director of the now-defunct Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, Dimitri Muratov, has expressed a severe warning following the death of Alexei Navalni in a Russian prison. He starkly states that “whoever opposes in Russia dies,” underlining the severe consequences faced by those who dare to stand against the government.
“With every murder of a Russian journalist or politician, the official propaganda machine reacts in the same predictable pattern: they claim that no one needed or benefited from this death. However, for some inexplicable reason, these individuals continue to die, and there is no accountability or justice served for the murders of notable figures such as Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Natalia Estemirova, and Boris Nemtsov,” Muratov said during an interview with the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.
Muratov further highlights the dire state of affairs in Russia, stating, “For some inexplicable reason, opponents of this government are meeting untimely deaths. Moreover, it is worrying that Putin personally demands compensation for the murderer Vadim Krasikov,” who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany. “The authority has transcended all borders of decency and respect for human life. Human life no longer holds any value in their eyes. This death will bring about a change in the country. How that will transpire is merely a matter of time,” he added.
As a journalist, Muratov believes that “the most crucial task at hand is for independent doctors to examine the other political prisoners whose lives are in grave danger: individuals like Alexei Gorinov, Mijail Barishnikov, Vladimir Kara Murza, and Aleksandra Skochilenko.”
The Novaya Gazeta newspaper was forced to cease operations in 2022, following the introduction of laws that subjected ‘fake news’ and discrediting of the Armed Forces to criminal punishment. The newspaper, which had been a beacon of independent journalism in Russia, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, a testament to its unwavering commitment to truth and justice.
