NEW YORK (Oct. 23, 2024) — Yulia Navalnaya, Chair of the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday to discuss the release of “Patriot,” a memoir written by her late husband, Alexei Navalny. Navalny, a prominent Russian dissident and opposition leader, was murdered on Feb. 16 while serving an unlawful 19-year prison sentence at the “Polar Wolf” penal colony in Russia’s Arctic Circle.
Navalny began writing “Patriot,” released on Oct. 22, shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. The book is described as his “final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.”
Known for his outspoken criticism of Russia’s authoritarian regime, Navalny was one of the leading voices challenging Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship. In 2022, TIME Magazine dubbed him “The Man Putin Fears.”
In 2011, Navalny founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation, through which he conducted anti-corruption investigations on state companies and senior government officials. In 2013, he came in second in Moscow’s mayoral election, and in 2018, he campaigned — but was illegally disqualified from appearing on the ballot — for the presidential election.
Due to his efforts to expose corruption and challenge Putin’s authoritarian rule, Navalny faced imprisonment and assassination attempts. In 2019, he was imprisoned under politically motivated charges of “violating protest laws” after calling for peaceful demonstrations in response to fraudulent city council elections. In August 2020, he survived an assassination attempt after secret police agents poisoned him with a nerve agent. After recovering in Germany, Navalny courageously returned to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and subsequently sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of “extremism.”
In July, HRF elected Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, as its new chair. Like her husband, Navalnaya is renowned for her unwavering commitment to democratic principles and human rights — and to living out her husband’s legacy.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
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