News / Politics
Marvin Rees’ concerns for his friend, Alexei Navalny
Back in 2010, two men used to pick apples together after a quirk of fate saw them become neighbours as part of the Yale World Fellows Program class of 2010.
Today, one of those men is Bristol mayor, Marvin Rees, Europe’s first directly elected mayor of African descent.
The other is Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who on Tuesday was sentenced to three years in prison after he was accused of breaking the terms of a suspended sentence for alleged embezzlement despite recovering in Berlin from a nerve agent attack that nearly killed him.
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Rees said that he is part of a small group working to support Navalny as he expressed concern for his plight.
The decision by a Moscow court to jail Russia’s leading opposition figure has been widely condemned across the globe and thousands have taken to the streets to protest the crackdown by the Kremlin.
Speaking on Wednesday, Rees spoke of the bravery of the 44-year-old anti-corruption activist, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and family.
The Yale World Fellows Program class of 2010 including Marvin Rees (back row, second from left) and Alexei Navalny – (back row, fourth from right) – photo: Yale World Fellows Program
Rees first met Navalny in 2010 when they were in the same Yale World Fellows cohort and he has previously written of how the pair would go apple picking together and helped each other adjust to life in the USA.
The mayor was one of more than 100 Yale affiliates to sign a statement in late August supporting Navalny after he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Russia that left him fighting for his life.
After he was sentenced on Tuesday, more than 1,400 people were detained across Russia, with riot police in Moscow filmed beating demonstrators with batons.
Responding to the latest developments in Russia, Rees said: “I’m in a small group who are trying to offer support. We are very concerned.
“I got to know Alexei back in 2010 and at the time he was uncovering a huge fraud. This is when we were at Yale and there were concerns as to whether he should go back to Russia then. He is an incredibly brave person as is his family, his wife, Yulia.
“He has really taken a stand and become the face of Russian opposition. But I’m very concerned about the way things are playing out. I’m really concerned they would say he broke his parole when he was in a coma after being poisoned. This is a very concerning time; I’m concerned about him and his family.”
The court in Moscow jailed Navalny for three-and-a-half years – minus the time he has already spent under house arrest. His lawyers have said they will appeal against Tuesday’s ruling.
Bristol’s mayor said the sentence doesn’t send a good message globally but acknowledged the mistreatment of people who speak up by political leaders is not new.
He called it a sign that “we have all got to get our act together”, adding: “I have concerns about what goes on in Russia around Alexei but I also have real concerns about how we protect democracy and better quality politics across the world.”
Main photo by Mitya Aleshkovskiy/Wikimedia
Read more: Bristol mayor: ‘We want local elections to go ahead in May’
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