Commemorating the second anniversary of the death in custody of Russian opposition politician and prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:
“Two years have passed since Aleksei Navalny, a prisoner of conscience and one of the most fearless voices against corruption and state repression in Russia, died in a remote penal colony within the Arctic Circle. While the Russian authorities continue to evade accountability, the truth has not been buried. On the contrary, the latest revelations indicating that Navalny was killed by the highly toxic substance epibatidine show that attempts to conceal the circumstances of his death have failed.”
“These findings were made possible not only by international cooperation, but also by the courage, determination and commitment of those inside Russia who ensured that critical evidence was preserved and made available for forensic examination. Against extraordinary risks, Aleksei Navalny’s friends and colleagues secured what was necessary to unveil the truth when Putin tried to bury it.
“That same determination explains why the Russian authorities continue their crackdown. They are attempting to destroy the movement Aleksei Navalny created by criminalizing his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), prosecuting his supporters and punishing even the slightest expressions of remembrance and solidarity.
While the Russian authorities continue to evade accountability, the truth has not been buried. On the contrary, the latest revelations indicating that Navalny was killed by the highly toxic substance epibatidine show that attempts to conceal the circumstances of his death have failed
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General
“In the past year, Aleksei Navalny’s lawyers – Aleksei Liptser, Vadim Kobzev and Igor Sergunin – as well as four associates, the media professionals Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artyom Kriger, have all been handed long prison sentences solely for peacefully exercising their human rights. They must be immediately and unconditionally released, and their unjust convictions quashed.
“These prosecutions form part of a far broader wave of repression. Russian authorities have opened more than 100 criminal cases over alleged donations to FBK, which has been arbitrarily designated as an ‘extremist’ and more recently a ‘terrorist’ organization. This widespread and systematic persecution of Navalny’s sympathizers is growing in scale and ferocity every year. Under the new ‘terrorist’ designation, supporters could face even harsher sanctions, including up to life imprisonment.
“The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been locked up solely for their association with Aleksei Navalny or his work and quash their unjust convictions. Russia must stop abusing ‘extremism’ and ‘terrorism’ legislation to pursue peaceful critics of the authorities. We also call on states and international organizations to publicly raise individual cases, support international monitoring and accountability efforts, and provide international protection, including asylum, for Navalny’s supporters who face the risk of politically motivated criminal prosecution in Russia.”
Background
On 14 February 2026, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK made a joint announcement based on a multi-intelligence inquiry stating that Aleksei Navalny had been killed with epibatidine – a highly toxic substance reportedly detected in biological samples taken prior to burial – and that only “[t]he Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy” it. The UK said it would refer the matter to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, noting that the production and use of such toxins are prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, both binding on Russia.
In December 2025, the Moscow City Court upheld 5.5-year prison sentences against Antonina Favorskaya and Artyom Kriger, reporters for the SotaVision media project who covered Aleksei Navalny and the FBK, as well as on Sergei Karelin and Konstantin Gabov, freelancers for the Navalny Live YouTube channel. In September 2025, a court also upheld the sentences handed down in January 2025 to Aleksei Navalny’s lawyers: Vadim Kobzev (5.5 years), Aleksei Liptser (five years), and Igor Sergunin (3.5 years).
In 2025 only, Russian courts considered at least 79 criminal cases related to donations to FBK. This represents a sharp increase compared to previous years, with two cases opened in 2022, four in 2023, and 27 in 2024. At least 96 individuals were prosecuted in 2025, often for donations ranging from 100 to 14,000 rubles (US$1.30-US$180). In eight cases, courts imposed prison sentences ranging from three months to five years, with one case resulting in a 12-year prison term. The actual number of cases is likely to be higher, as no official statistics are published and court data remains incomplete.
