‘Navalny’ director: ‘Of course they murdered him’

Daniel Lohar, director of the award-winning documentary “Navalny,” blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death of prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an interview published Sunday.

“This is the most obvious one. Of course they murdered him.” Lohar told The Washington Post.said a Russian official in an interview on the day Russian prisons announced Navalny’s death.

“Their approach was very brazen and blatant. It’s like they’re renting a billboard to say to potential opposition parties, ‘This is what’s going to happen to you.'” he continued.

Lohar also pointed to the energetic messages Navalny gave in the days before his death was announced, including a heartfelt message to his wife for Valentine’s Day and a speech in court. It also included a video appearance in which Lohar said: He was sarcastic, a typical asshole, and made his guards laugh. ”

“The man’s humanity was clearly intact. His health was extremely important,” Lohr continued. “So the fact that he died overnight means the culprit is Putin. That’s clear. The technical points of how they did it and who did it. You’ll understand in time. But today I’m just grieving.”

Russian prison authorities said Navalny felt unwell after the walk and lost consciousness. The official cause of death has not yet been announced, but U.S. officials have similarly blamed President Putin.

President Biden responded to Navalny’s death in White House remarks Friday, saying, “If the reports of his death are true, there is no reason to believe otherwise. Russian authorities will tell their own story.” Ta. .

“But make no mistake: President Putin is responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death. President Putin is responsible. What happened to Mr. Navalny is further proof of Mr. Putin’s brutality. Who? We should not be fooled,” Biden continued.

Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges, which he and U.S. officials have accused of being politically motivated. Navalny survived a poisoning in 2020, but he returned to Russia knowing he would be imprisoned.

Navalny has blamed Putin for the poisoning, and Putin denies involvement in the assassination attempt. But “Navalny,” which won the 2023 Oscar for best documentary, showed him calling an agent from a murder team he suspected of trying to kill him. Mr. Navalny pretended to be a senior Russian official and had his agents explain how they had tried to poison Mr. Navalny.