The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest Valery Kuzmin was summoned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in connection with the sudden death in prison of the Russian opposition politician Oleksiy Navalny. Other countries have been turning to Russian diplomats for explanations in this case since Monday.

Profile Minister Luminica Odobescu on Wednesday, February 21, ordered to summon Valery Kuzmin.

Odobescu “emphasized that the responsibility for the death of Oleksii Navalny lies exclusively with the Russian authorities. This emphasized the need for a transparent, independent, comprehensive investigation into the circumstances that led to the death,” said the statement sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Russian authorities that they have a “moral obligation to immediately deliver the lifeless body of Oleksii Navalny to his family.”

“The challenge of the Russian ambassador reflects Romania’s consistent position regarding the condemnation of massive and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Russian Federation, accordingly, a request to the Russian Federation to respect the commitments made at the international level in this area,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reports.

Valery Kuzmin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania several times after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Russian authorities will “examine” Navalny’s body for another 14 days

Russia on Tuesday rejected the European Union’s requests for an international investigation into the death of dissident Alexei Navalny, and his mother Lyudmila sent a personal message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, DPA reported, citing Agerpres.

Navalny’s family and his staff said they were not even told where his body was kept.

Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmish, said there was no hope that the authorities would soon hand over the body to the family. Kira Yarmish reported on Monday on the platform “X” that the investigators said that “the body will be subjected to a ‘chemical examination’ for another 14 days.”

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the death of a Russian opposition leader. As world leaders and human rights activists continue to express their outrage over Navalny’s death, Washington has announced that the US will impose new sanctions on Russia.

Who would be the tormentor of Alexei Navalny, whom Putin promoted after his death

Meanwhile, Putin has promoted the deputy head of Russia’s Penitentiary Service (FSIN), Valery Boyarynev, who, according to Navalny’s supporters, is personally responsible for torturing a Russian dissident in prison. Boyarynev was awarded the rank of colonel-general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

“This should be understood as an in-kind reward from Putin for torture,” Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBC), wrote Navalny in Telegram.

In July 2023, during a court hearing, it became known about Boyarynev’s order to limit Navalny’s ability to buy food and basic necessities. Prisoners can usually use their money to supplement their meager rations by shopping in the prison store.

According to Zhdanov, the new colonel-general is also responsible for harassing Navalny. A Kremlin spokesman denied any connection between Navalny’s death and the promotion, saying it was a normal procedure.