Five countries say Navalny was killed with poison from South American frog

The UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have said that laboratory tests show Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny died after exposure to a toxin found in a tree frog native to Ecuador.

Source: European Pravda citing a joint statement released on 14 February, the second anniversary of Navalny's death in a Russian penal colony

Details: The statement, agreed by the five countries' foreign ministers, effectively accused Russian authorities of poisoning Navalny in prison.

Quote: "The UK, Sweden, France, Germany and The Netherlands are confident that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin. This is the conclusion of our Governments based on analyses of samples from Alexei Navalny. These analyses have conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine."

More details: The statement noted that the neurotoxin is found in poison of dart frogs in South America and is not found naturally anywhere in Russia.

Quote: "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. Navalny died while held in prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison to him."

More details: The five countries said that Russia had repeatedly shown disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention, noting that in August 2020 they condemned the use of Novichok to poison Navalny. They also referred to the use of the substance in Salisbury in the UK which had led to the death of a British woman.

Quote: "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. Our Permanent Representatives to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have written today to the Director General to inform him of this Russian breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

We are further concerned that Russia did not destroy all of its chemical weapons."

More details: The countries said they will use all available tools to hold Russia to account for such actions.

Background:

• Two years ago, on the afternoon of 16 February, Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service reported the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at Correctional Facility No 3. in the town of Kharp in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, northwestern Siberia.
• After his death, the EU adopted new sanctions against about 20 people it said were responsible for human rights violations in Russia, including in connection with Navalny's death.
• A case brought by Ukraine against Russia is continuing at the European Court of Human Rights. It concerns a series of high-profile assassination attempts and contract killings organised by Russia in Ukraine and in other countries.

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