Alexei Navalny Did Not Die for Nothing
The Russian opposition leader faced a dilemma that all dissenters in authoritarian states must grapple with: live in exile and fade into obscurity, or confront an oppressive regime and risk imprisonment and torture. Navalny’s choice – and the price he paid for making it – will inspire dissidents for generations to come.
NEW YORK – On January 17, 2021, when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been treated after being poisoned in Russia with the nerve agent Novichok, he said he was pleased to be going home. But he knew the risks involved: a long prison sentence, torture, even death.