The Biden administration, supported by its sycophantic corporate media, became hyperbolic upon hearing of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian prison last week. President Biden declared “Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible.”
The “tell” Biden used by every governmental prevaricator is “Make no mistake,” which translates to “Don’t dare disbelieve me.” Dick Cheney made that tell the foundation for his lying America into attacking Iraq in 2003. Regarding Navalny, Cheney would be proud of Biden.
Putin may be responsible for Navalny’s death. But Biden’s provocative statement is pure propaganda designed to stoke hatred of the Russian leader who has Biden flummoxed by his role in degrading US unipolar dominance of Europe, if not the whole world.
Most Americans don’t know, due to governmental and media censorship, that Alexei Navalny is no democratic Thomas Jefferson. He first gained prominence at Putin’s right flank, advocating for the 2006 Russian March, an annual far right gathering banned by Putin’s government. Navalny opposed free immigration to Russia. He supported Russia’s intervention against Georgia on behalf of South Ossetia in 2008. In 2012 he even urged Russian integration with Eastern Ukraine, a policy now at the heart of US billions weaponizing Ukraine in the Russo Ukraine war.
If Putin did destroy Navalny, it could simply be another such reprehensible act practiced by strong leaders worldwide to eliminate a political threat.
Speaking of threats to strong leaders, US presidents Bush Jr., Obama, Trump and now Biden, have all engaged in a grotesque assault on press freedom with their ongoing destruction of Australian journalist Julian Assange. Their beef? Assange had the gall to publish classified documents demonstrating US war crimes in Iraq. He’s been imprisoned for 11 years now, the last 4 in a London prison awaiting extradition for trial in the US, his mental and physical health in decline. If extradited to the US, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison for publishing documents provided to him by a source, a standard journalistic practice.
But before or after any Assange conviction occurs, it’s possible Julian Assange will go the way of Alexei Navalny, eventually dying in prison after years of psychological torture by the US for practicing the most sacred duty in a so called free society.
If Assange does join Alexei Navalny as a former troublesome thorn of brutal leaders, it would truly be fitting if his obit was written by Franz Kafka.
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Vvgo7SKf0
In Russian media and blogs, Navalny’s death rated one day in the news cycle.. The Story of a Nobody..
I would never put Assange in the same category as Navalny. Assange was about putting out truthful, factual information to the public, without benefit to himself. Navalny was a narcissistic, useless trouble maker. Assange is another example of our Un-Constitutional Congress, who preaches about “Free Speech”, yet are willing to do nothing to help Assange, who broke NO laws.
Translation: You dislike the regime that’s trying to kill Assange, you like the regime that killed Navalny.
Navalny did break Russian Laws and just like any country we live in, or visit, you obey their laws or break them, taking a risk. That said, I have seen no proof that Navalny was killed, or that Assange broke any laws. Why would Navalny return to Russia, knowing he was not welcome? He could have stayed out of Russia and do more good for his cause, whatever it was.
Interesting. Were you on the jury when Navalny was charged with, tried for, and convicted of breaking Russian laws?
Or were you just in the courtroom observing?
Or do you just believe that to be the case because the Russian government assures you that’s the case?
If you believe the Russian government whenever it announces that someone broke its laws, why don’t you believe the US government when it says someone broke its laws?
If Navalny died in prison, the organization responsible for putting him there and keeping him there is reponsible for him dying there. Whether he deserved it or not is a different question.