The Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany, Duchrow, is calling for an independent investigation into the death of Kremlin critic Navalny. On tagesschau24 She reports about his inhumane prison conditions.
tagesschau24: How surprising was the news of the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny – if it was true – to you?
Julia Duchrow: Navalny’s health had steadily deteriorated. But of course this news comes to us very unexpectedly and we are really horrified. But you have to say: So far we have no information from the lawyers or the family that they confirm the death. The press in Russia is not independent and therefore we have to assume that this is a suspected death. We can’t finally confirm it yet.
tagesschau24: Do you assume that this report is true, or how likely is it that something like this would be spread without it actually being the case?
Duchrow: In principle, the media is not independent in Russia. There are always false reports. From Amnesty International’s point of view, that’s just how it is: We have repeatedly and very strongly campaigned for Navalny’s release. The conviction and also the imprisonment were unlawful. We have repeatedly noticed that he is not receiving proper health care. He was in solitary confinement for many months, a special confinement that is actually only permitted in Russia for 15 days. As a result, he couldn’t do any exercise and wasn’t properly provided with, including food. Solitary confinement is legally viewed internationally as degrading, inhumane treatment.
“Sad result of this one conditions of detention”
tagesschau24: And if his death is confirmed, what do you think led to it? So weakness caused by these prison conditions? Or maybe even another calculated trigger?
Duchrow: Basically, we can’t speculate now. But Navalny is of course a symbol of the Russian government’s repression of civil society. This poison attack is documented, along with the inhumane prison conditions and the illegal detention. For us, it is a sad result of these prison conditions and also the government’s treatment of Navalny.
tagesschau24: And do you think anyone will ever know what really happened?
Duchrow: We demand an independent investigation. We also demand that those involved and those responsible – including for the poison attack – be held accountable. We are a human rights organization and document human rights violations. We simply believe that it is possible to ultimately hold those responsible for such human rights violations accountable. And that’s how I would see it in this case.
“Democracy requires a vibrant one civil society”
tagesschau24: The presidential elections are now taking place in Russia. Are you assuming that this is a coincidence, that Navalny may have died just now?
Duchrow: We cannot yet confirm the death from our sources. The suspected death is related to the unlawful imprisonment of Navalny. And basically this is part of the Russian government’s approach, to silence a civil society that represents different opinions, that is critical, so to speak, and also the opposition. And the presumed death of Navalny would be a really, really terrible culmination of these activities.
I believe that the federal government simply needs to continue its activities in supporting civil society in Russia and also in issuing visas for activists here in Germany. Democracy requires a vibrant civil society that can demand its rights, and of course opposition. None of this exists in Russia.
The interview was conducted by Kathrin Schlass for tagesschau24. It has been edited for the written version.