Individuals' fundamental freedoms and entitlements - "His dignity remained intact": Tribute for Navalny
To commemorate Alexei Navalny's 48th birthday, his wife, companions, and admirers convened for a memorial service in Berlin. Julia Navalnaya, his spouse, addressed the congregation at the Marienkirche in Berlin-Mitte with a few concise Russian words, yet remained silent after that.
As a renowned critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin for years, Navalny had endured multiple arrests and legal proceedings. He miraculously survived being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in 2020. After receiving treatment at the Charité in Berlin, Navalny returned to Russia in 2021 and was taken into custody once more. On February 16, Navalny inexplicably expired in a Siberian penal colony.
In his sermon at the Berlin ceremony, Protestant Bishop Christian Stäblein conveyed his hope to have celebrated Navalny's birthday with him and serenaded him with a song. "I trust and believe that the celestial choirs are singing to him this very instant," remarked Stäblein.
The bishop highlighted Navalny's indomitable spirit, wit, and resolute dedication to freedom and justice in Russia - enduring torture, degradation, and attempted poisoning. Baptized with innate dignity, Stäblein emphasized that it could not be stripped from him. We continue to yearn for freedom and justice to triumph.
Journalist Sabine Adler revisited how Navalny was apprehended in 2018 due to his aspirations to challenge President Putin. As a blogger, he meticulously uncovered instances of corruption within Putin's inner circle. Navalny had at times strayed, such as being drawn to nationalists and endorsing the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea. Nevertheless, he rectified his errors. He staunchly and openly decried the Russian hostilities against Ukraine, declared Adler.
