Photo: CNN screenshot
The recent death of Russian activist Alexei Navalny has sparked global outrage and reignited debates surrounding his legacy. Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, passed away on Feb. 16 after falling unconscious during a walk at the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony where he was serving a lengthy prison sentence.
Navalny’s demise has led to a wave of condemnation from Western leaders, who have held Russia responsible for his death, with U.S. President Joe Biden denouncing the incident as the result of actions taken by Putin and his associates, Reuters reported. Navalny’s outspoken criticism of corruption and opulence within Putin’s regime catapulted him to international prominence, making him a symbol of resistance against authoritarianism in Russia.
However, amidst the tributes and accolades, Navalny’s legacy is also fraught with controversy and criticism. Amnesty International recently revoked his “prisoner of conscience” status due to past xenophobic comments, including remarks comparing Black immigrants to cockroaches.
Political analyst Ameshia Cross addressed the darker aspects of the 47-year-old former lawyer’s past, including his controversial statements about immigrants and ethnic minorities.
In a video from 2007, Navalny appears to compare Muslim and Black immigrants in Russia to “cockroaches,” as he advocated for gun ownership, Yahoo reported.
Cross tweeted, “Because it’s bound to happen, before folks extol Navalny glowing reports. Yes he was anti-Putin…he was also anti-Black and anti-immigrant. He compared immigrants to dental cavities that needed to be extracted and Blacks to cockroaches using recycled tropes from Reconstruction”.
Alexander Artemyev, Amnesty International spokesperson, told the BBC, “He cannot be a prisoner of conscience: that is someone who never advocates hate or violence or uses hate speech.”
Photo: CNN screenshot, https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/21/europe/alexey-navalny-russia-travel-intl/index.html
