Thousands of Russians participated this Friday in the funeral of opposition leader Alexséi Navalny, despite strict police measures and warnings from the authorities about the consequences of participating in unauthorized acts.
"Navalni was the conscience of the nation. And although I am afraid, I have chosen conscience over fear and that is why I am here," Svetlana, 65, told EFE. She added that the legacy of the opponent, who was 47 years old, "will not die."
Another Muscovite assured that Navalny "was a good person and not just a good politician." "People followed him because he not only told the truth, but he believed in what he said," he said.
Among the personalities who attended the funeral were Yevgeny Roizman, former mayor of the Ural city of Yekaterinburg, as well as some foreign diplomats, including the ambassadors of the United States, Germany and France.
Boris Nadezhdin, a candidate for the Russian Presidency, recently vetoed by the Electoral Commission of this country, also attended Navalny's farewell in a church in the southeast of the Russian capital. "People are afraid, but they want to overcome it," the opposition politician told EFE.
Nadezhdin assured that Navalny's death is "a tragic event for millions of Russians who supported him." "We had a common goal, that democracy triumphed in Russia and that Russia became a normal country," he said.
