Here’s actor Benedict Cumberbatch reading one of the last letters of imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, whose sudden death on February 16 is still a mystery. This letter was written about a month before that. It’s only five minutes long, so have a listen.
Last month Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny, paid the ultimate price for his beliefs, dying in a West Siberian prison after years of relentless campaigning against corruption and a near-fatal poisoning. By the time of his death, Navalny had been imprisoned for more than two years, during which time he wrote to his supporters and the wider world through letters shared on his social media accounts. This is one of the last messages he wrote.
The letter answers a question Navalny got frequently: “Why did you come back?” (He returned to Russia from Germany, facing certain arrest, after he was poisoned by Russia while in Russia.) The short answer: “If I didn’t stick to my convictions, I’d have no credibility.” What those principles are you can hear in the reading.
There are few men as brave as Navalny. I suppose one could compare him to a soldier ordered to undertake a mission resulting in certain death, like the attacks on the Ottomans at Gallipoli. But there’s a big difference: Navalny wasn’t under orders, and voluntarily returned to Russia, knowing what he’d face.
h/t: Jez
That was beautiful— and powerful. The man was a legitimate hero, I’m convinced of it.
+1
I don’t believe that he returned for any reason other than the one so clearly and passionately expressed in this letter. Shame on anyone who suggests otherwise.
“Power should change hands”
A golden rule of democracy, it is the only way to make sure power remains honest and true. Navalny never got his chance, Putin’s Russia is worse for it. (If that’s possible)
I want to be shocked and angry that he went back ……
but I’m holding off ….
does anyone know the extenuating circumstance? Why would he do it, based on his claim of convictions? There must be something other than sacrifice.
I don’t understand why you’re doubtful about his motivations. He explains that nobody would believe his convictions unless he acted on them. People have sacrificed a great deal for their convictions all the time, including religious martyrs who die for their faith.
If he knew he would be jailed for life or killed, how would that help Russia? Wouldn’t it be more virtuous to stay alive and active abroad?
Wow. I can only hope that Navalny is never forgotten, and that Putin is widely denounced in Russia one day.
+ 1
Thanks to our host for bringing this to the attention of a wider audience. I can’t bring myself to imagine possessing either the courage of Navalny or the cynicism required to deny it.
For light relief, I accidentally discovered Cumberbatch’s reading of Navalny’s letter after watching this one: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXusaBNctC8
Hilarious!
That’s almost as good as “The Sick Note.”
There are many who understand neither freedom nor duty.
Navalny died a free man.
But if one wants to look for calculation, it is as simple as this: staying out of Russia would not have saved him.
You got THAT right.
I also want to believe that he thought he had a chance to change the course of history. In the little I saw of him, he came across as an optimist/realist, armed with convictions. Modern day tragic hero.