Alexei Navalny is being laid to rest in Moscow today, a fortnight after the Russian opposition leader was found dead in a gulag in the Arctic circle. His death prompted an outpouring of grief but also anger among Western leaders. Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron expressed their sadness at the news and their indignation, pointing the finger of blame for Navalny’s death at Vladimir Putin.
Navalny was a courageous man who paid a heavy price for his dissidence. So, too, did Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi journalist was a fierce critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, using a monthly column in the Washington Post to denounce the de facto ruler of the kingdom. In October 2018, Khashoggi was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he was tortured, murdered and dismembered.
Macron is not alone in turning a blind eye to some of Qatar’s more dubious relationships
The West was outraged at the murder of Khashoggi, and Britain and France were among the countries demanding that those responsible ‘must be held to account’.
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