Where does Yulia Navalnya live? Russia issues arrest warrant for Alexei Navalny’s widow
A Moscow court has accused Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny’s widow, of being part of an extremist organization and has issued an arrest warrant.
The Basmanny court in Moscow issued an arrest warrant this Tuesday against Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February under suspicious circumstances in an Arctic prison. According to the court’s statement on Telegram, “Yulia Borisovna has escaped from the bodies of the preliminary investigation, in connection with which she is declared wanted and captured.”
Navalnaya, who has vowed to continue her late husband’s work from abroad, faces charges for her alleged participation in an extremist organization. She is currently residing in Germany where she went following her husband’s death.
If she returns to Russia or is extradited, she could be sentenced to between two and six years in prison, in addition to a fine that could reach 600,000 rubles (approximately 6,800 dollars). The warrant is valid for at least two months for her arrest in Russian territory or her extradition, according to the Interfax agency.
Recently, Yulia Navalnaya called on the international community not to recognize the results of the Russian elections last March, in which President Vladimir Putin was re-elected. Navalnaya urged Western leaders not to legitimize these elections, arguing that they lacked opposition candidates and were rigged.
Reaction after ordering arrest
In response to the arrest warrant, Navalnaya stated on social media that Putin is a murderer. “Vladimir Putin is a murderer and a war criminal. His place is in prison, and not somewhere in The Hague, in a cosy cell with a TV, but in Russia, in the same colony and the same 2-by-3 meter cell in which he killed Alexey,” she said.
In addition, she has emphasized support for Ukraine and has harshly criticized Putin’s regime, stating that a Russian defeat in Ukraine could precipitate the collapse of his government. She highlighted the lack of freedoms in Russia and the high number of political prisoners, comparing the current situation with Soviet repression.
This month, Navalnaya was elected the new chairperson of the Human Rights Foundation, based in the United States, where she will continue her work defending human rights globally.