European States Claims Navalny Died from Poisoning in Russian Prison
In a joint statement, the governments of the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands said they are "confident" that Navalny’s death resulted from exposure to a "lethal toxin" based on “analyses of samples” taken from his body.
"This is the conclusion of our Governments based on analyses of samples from Alexei Navalny. These analyses have conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine," the statement said.
The European officials noted that epibatidine, a toxin naturally found in the skin of certain South American dart frogs, does not occur naturally in Russia.
"Russia claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. But given the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death," the statement added.
The joint declaration further criticized Moscow’s conduct: "Russia’s repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is clear."
The European nations recalled that in August 2020, they and their partners had condemned Russia’s use of Novichok in the poisoning of Navalny, echoing earlier concerns from the 2018 Salisbury Novichok attack that resulted in the death of a British citizen, Dawn Sturgess. The Russian government has consistently denied responsibility in both incidents.
"These latest findings once again underline the need to hold Russia accountable for its repeated violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and, in this instance, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention," the statement concluded.
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