The British government said it called Russian embassy ambassadors “to make clear that we hold the Russian authorities fully responsible” for the killing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The 47-year-old died in an Arctic prison on Friday, just a month before an election that might strengthen President Vladimir Putin’s influence.
“The authorities have imprisoned him on fabricated charges, poisoned him with a banned nerve agent, and sent him to an Arctic penal colony,” a Foreign Office official said late Friday.
“No one should doubt the brutal nature of the Russian system,”
The Foreign Office said it had “summoned the Russian embassy to make clear that we hold the Russian authorities fully responsible” .
“Alexei Navalny dedicated his life to exposing the corruption of the Russian system, calling for free and open politics, and holding the Kremlin to account,” stated a representative for the government.
Foreign Minister David Cameron warned on Saturday of “consequences” from Navalny’s death.
“Reflecting overnight, you realize what an incredibly brave man he was.” “His life revealed so much about the true nature of Putin’s heinous regime, and his death has revealed it all over again,” he told journalists at the Munich Security Conference.
“There should be consequences. When horrible human rights violations occur, we investigate whether specific people are to blame and whether individual steps and actions can be taken.
“I am clear that we will be taking action and I would urge others do to the same,” he went on to say.
Supporters of Navalny gathered around Europe and the United States on Friday evening to pay respect to the man largely regarded as Russia’s primary opposition figure, even while he was in prison.
In London, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Russian embassy, holding posters in English and Russian that read “Stop Putin,” “Assassins,” and “We are Navalny.”