EU Delegation in Geneva honours Alexei Navalny

During the ceremony, each participant laid a flower at the Gandhi Statue and held up photographs of Navalny. Following the speech by the EU Ambassador Deike Potzel, attendees observed a minute of silence in remembrance.  

In her remarks, EU Ambassador Deike Potzel recalled that five European nations, together with the United Kingdom, have recently determined that Alexei Navalny was poisoned. His death was the foreseeable consequence of a system built to silence dissent.

“Navalny knew exactly how the system worked. He faced its courts, its prisons, its punishments. And yet he refused to be afraid. That is why, as guards led him away after yet another hearing, he turned to those outside and called out: “Do not be afraid of anything.” He returned to Russia knowing he would be arrested. He stood trial knowing the outcome was predetermined. He endured isolation and deliberate mistreatment yet continued to expose corruption and demand accountability. That conviction cost him his life.” – EU Ambassador Deike Potzel

Ambassador Potzel stressed that Navalny’s fate was not an isolated tragedy. Today, Russia holds more than 2,000 political prisoners, which is more than the Soviet Union in its later years. Behind these numbers are journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, municipal representatives, and ordinary citizens who refused to remain silent. The system that silenced Navalny remains firmly in place and continues to violate human rights, both domestically and abroad.  

“Repression at home has accompanied aggression abroad. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainians have been detained, deported, or forcibly disappeared. Political imprisonment and external aggression are sustained by the same disregard for human dignity and the rule of law,” - EU Ambassador Deike Potzel

The memorial also paid tribute to Yulia Navalnaya, who has continued her husband’s work with clarity and courage. She demonstrates that Alexei Navalny’s legacy is not only a memory to honour, but a responsibility to uphold

The EU remains steadfast in its commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and accountability. We continue to call for the release of all political prisoners in Russia and to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In commemorating Alexei Navalny, the EU reaffirms that fear must not dictate the future, and that defending human dignity, wherever it is threatened,  is a shared responsibility.