Key Points
- Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died in an Arctic prison.
- Russian-Australians gathered in support of Navalny following the news.
- Navalny's team has confirmed his death but says his body is yet to be returned.
Alexei Navalny's envoy in Australia has made a rallying cry in the wake of the prominent Vladimir Putin critic's death, saying his supporters must not give up hope.
Petr Kuzmin, a software manager and official representative of Navalny's team in Australia, was among nearly 60 people gathered at Melbourne's Princes Bridge on Saturday to voice outrage over Navalny's passing and criticise Russian President Vladimir Putin,
Navalny at the where he was serving a three-decade sentence.
Suppers of Alexei Navalny on Melbourne's Princes Bridge on Saturday. Source: Supplied / Mayya Simonova
"It was, of course, a murder. And, naturally, supporters of Alexei Navalny, supporters of a civilized, democratic, normal Russia, we are now experiencing very difficult feelings," Kuzmin told SBS Russian.
"We have lost our leader, but, just like he always said, it is at this moment that we must not give up.
"Alexei is alive in us. As long as we remain true to the ideals and values that he promoted, Alexei will live."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday called statements by Western countries about Navalny’s death "rabid and unacceptable".
Kuzmin left Russia in 1999 but said he never lost his emotional connection with his home country and coordinated the Free Navalny campaign in Australia.
Almost every week for the past two years, Kuzmin has been silently protesting on the Princes Bridge with posters denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine or in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Russians in Australia mourn Alexei Navalny
Kuzmin said while everybody was "feeling down", he hoped their leader's death would lead to action.
He said Navalny's death would not impact his political activism in Australia.
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm here. I will do whatever I can to lobby the Australian government to put pressure on Putin's regime to impose personal sanctions," he said.
"This regime has to be brought to justice one way or another, and I will be doing everything I can for that."
Dozens of Alexei Navalny supporters demonstrated in Melbourne on Saturday. Source: SBS News / Mayaa Simonova
Like many Russians in Melbourne, he was at veteran Russian rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov's concert on Friday evening when he heard the news.
"Part of the audience was leaving the concert in shock. The other part still didn’t know what was happening. I saw various people hugging each other and crying," he told SBS Russian.
Veteran Russian rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov held a concert for the Russian community in Melbourne on Friday. Credit: Supplied by S. Kitaeff.
"The fact that he (Navalny) died tragically only tells us that we still have such people in Russia. And I hope they always will be there," a protester who requested anonymity told SBS Russian.
"The Russian people who have suffered as a nation for a long time, must be free. But, unfortunately, power in Russia has been seized by criminals; the criminals who now have colossal power, and it is very difficult to fight them. But we need to fight."
Supporters of Alexei Navalny gathered for a protest in front of the Russian consulate in Woollahra, Sydney, on Saturday. Source: SBS News / Images
Russians risk arrest to march in streets
Human rights organisations, said it was almost impossible for people in Russia to protest, due to authorities' increasingly restrictive laws.
But news of Navalny's death prompted supporters to take to the streets despite the risks of being arrested.
In many Russian cities, people also laid flowers at memorials for victims of political repression.
Russian communities around the world are holding memorials for Alexei Navalny this weekend. A poster reads "I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be afraid". Source: Getty / Michele Tantussi
Alexei Navalny's message before his death
In the Oscar-winning Navalny documentary, the activist was asked to share his message in case he died.
"I have a very obvious thing to say: do not give up. You shouldn't, you can't give up. If this [death] happens, it means that we are exceptionally strong at this moment since they decided to kill me," he said.
"All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Therefore, we must not remain passive."
Alexei Navalny's team on Saturday , but it was unclear where his body was as his family and friends searched for answers.
Russian officials had said Navalny's death had not yet been established and results of a new investigation would be released next week, said Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh.
Navalny's mother was told the body would not be released until those investigations were complete, she said.
The decision has prompted speculation the Russian authorities may be keen to hold on to the body in an attempt to cover up potential foul play.
"They're driving us around in circles and covering their tracks," Yarmysh said.
- With additional reporting by SBS Russian, and the Associated Press via the Australian Associated Press.
