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Supporters of Alexei Navalny turned out across Europe and in the United States on Friday to pay tribute to the man widely acknowledged as Russia’s main opposition figure.
The death of Navalny, 47, was announced earlier that day by officials in the Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence.
From New York and Washington to cities in western Europe to capitals of former Soviet bloc states, mourners showed their respect for the charismatic lawyer who rallied domestic opposition to the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, including corruption under his rule.
Many were quick to blame Navalny’s death on the Russian leader.
“Putin murderer! Putin to the Hague!,” cried a crowd massed before Russia’s imposing embassy in Berlin—a reference to the Dutch city that hosts the International Criminal Court.
Most of the several hundred people gathered there were Russian speakers, many holding up posters of members of the opposition or slogans criticizing Putin.
“It’s a hard hit emotionally,” said Evgueni Syrokin, who coordinated the “Free Navalny” movement in Germany.
“It pushes us to continue to work, to struggle against Putin,” added the 43-year-old, bearing a black-and-white photo of the opposition figure.
In Moscow, small groups laid flowers at makeshift memorials, despite warnings by authorities.
Images on social media showed dozens of people lining up to place flowers at monuments to victims of political repression in Moscow and in St. Petersburg.
Authorities had warned people against heeding calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the center of Moscow.”
Protests are illegal in Russia under strict antidissent laws, and the government has clamped down harshly on rallies in support of Navalny.
Still, dozens laid red and white roses at Solovetsky Stone, a monument to victims of Soviet-era repression opposite the headquarters of Russia’s FSB security services—the former home of the feared Soviet secret police.
