Peter Dutton says Russian president a ‘murderous dictator’ while foreign affairs minister Penny Wong says Navalny an inspiring figure
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has joined western governments across the globe in holding Vladimir Putin responsible for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, 47, died while being held in a jail about 65km north of the Arctic Circle, where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a “special regime”.
Albanese told reporters in Newcastle on Saturday that Australia was shocked and saddened by the news.
“We hold Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime responsible for this death in prison,” he said. “Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian, and we have a divide in the world between authoritarian regimes and democracies.”
Albanese said the government needed “to call out the behaviour of authoritarians like Vladimir Putin”.
On X, the prime minister posted that Navalny’s treatment was “unforgivable”.
Australia mourns the tragic death of Alexei Navalny, a courageous force for democracy in Russia. His treatment was unforgivable, and our thoughts are with his family and with the people of Russia.— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 17, 2024
The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, told reporters on Saturday that Navalny was inspiring.
“His resistance, his opposition to a repressive regime was inspiring to so many people around the world, and we make clear we hold the Russian government solely responsible for his treatment and his death,” Wong said.
