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(Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday there should be a thorough investigation into the death of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny before any charges are brought.
His comments were in sharp contrast to Western leaders’ harsh and intense criticism of Russia over Navalny’s death in an Arctic penal colony on Friday. US President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin and “his thugs” were responsible.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected such allegations as unacceptable.
Speaking at a press conference after attending the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Lula said it was a matter of “common sense” to refrain from taking any stance on the death at this time.
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“A civilian died in prison, I don’t know if he was sick or had some problem,” Lula said. “To make allegations is trivialization. I hope an investigator provides an explanation as to why the man died, that’s all.”
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Lula’s comments show how non-Western countries have not joined the West’s efforts to deeply isolate Russia’s Putin over the invasion of Ukraine and other issues.
Lula has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and said that Russia should not have invaded. But he says that America has unnecessarily prolonged the war.
Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday that her son had suffered from “sudden death syndrome” and that his body would not be handed over to the family until the investigation was completed, his team said.
During the press conference, Lula advocated giving the Global South its rightful place in economy, politics and culture, highlighting the importance of the BRICS bloc for this purpose.
The group, which includes Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa, officially expanded in January with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
(Reporting by Marcella Ayers; Editing by Francis Carey)
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