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I have my country and my convictions. And I don't want to give up on either. I can't betray either one. If your convictions mean anything, you must be ready to stand up for them. And, if necessary, make sacrifices [for them]. If you're not ready [to do that], then you have no convictions. You just think you do. But those aren't convictions or principles; they're just thoughts in your head.
It so happens that in today's Russia, I have to pay for my right to have and to openly express my convictions by sitting in solitary confinement. And, of course, I don't like being in prison. But I won't renounce my convictions or my homeland. My convictions aren't exotic, sectarian, or radical. On the contrary, everything I believe in is based on science and historical experience. Those in power must change. The best way to elect leaders is through honest and free elections. Everyone needs a fair court. Corruption destroys the state. There should be no censorship. The future lies with these principles.
Alexey Navalny, Russia's most famous dissident, has died. (4 June 1976 – 16 February 2024).
Returning to Russia in 2021, after having been treated in Berlin for novichok poisoning, Navalny was immediately arrested on arrival at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Since then, he has been in and out of (but mostly in) solitary confinement all over the country, with his final station being the Polar Wolf penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Siberia.
On Monday, he had been visited by his parents. In reacting to the news of her son's death, his mother reacted:
"I don't want to hear any condolences. We saw our son in the colony on Feb. 12th. He was alive, healthy, cheerful."
More info here.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by janrinok on Friday February 16 2024, @06:26PM (5 children)
You cannot change your country by watching from afar but doing nothing. Someone has to make a stand. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't.
It also shows that Putin was frightened of him. Putin was frightened by a man held in solitary confinement in a penal colony deep inside frozen Siberia. Navalny had the potential to galvanize action against him, even if he couldn't do it himself.
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Friday February 16 2024, @06:45PM (4 children)
They are sending not-very-subtle messages. Like "if you oppose me you will die" (Litvinenko) or "If you defect, even to a 'safe' power like UK, I will find you and kill you" (skripal)
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday February 16 2024, @07:09PM (3 children)
Agreed - because he is frightened. Navalny posed no physical threat to him, but he did not want to face what he might be able to get other people to do e.g. stand up and be counted.
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by mrpg on Friday February 16 2024, @09:47PM (2 children)
I tried to talk to google AI about this but when I use certain words his filters make it difficult, for example when I use words like sex or death. It took me a while to get this:
**Putin was afraid of Navalny for several reasons:**
**1. Navalny was a charismatic and popular leader.** He had a large following, especially among young people, and he was able to mobilize people to protest against the government.
**2. Navalny was a fierce critic of Putin and his regime.** He exposed corruption, nepotism, and the lack of democracy in Russia. His journalistic investigations and YouTube videos attracted millions of views and generated a great deal of public debate.
**3. Navalny was a real threat to Putin's power.** He ran for president in 2018 and won 20% of the vote, despite government repression. If he had not been imprisoned, it is possible that he would have won the next election.
**4. Navalny was a symbol of hope for the future of Russia.** He represented an alternative to Putin's authoritarian regime and his vision of a free and democratic Russia.
**In short, Putin was afraid of Navalny because he was a strong, popular, and charismatic leader who posed a real threat to his power. His death is a great loss for the Russian opposition and for the future of democracy in Russia.**
**Here are some other reasons why Putin might have been afraid of Navalny:**
* **Navalny was an intelligent and cunning lawyer.** He was able to defend himself in court and challenge the government in the legal arena.
* **Navalny had a large team of collaborators.** He had the support of a network of activists, journalists, and other professionals who helped him carry out his work.
* **Navalny had an international presence.** He was known and respected by world leaders and international organizations.
**Navalny's death is a great blow to the Russian opposition, but his legacy will live on.** His fight for freedom and democracy in Russia will inspire future generations.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2024, @11:46PM (1 child)
Just fucking stop.
Nothing coming out of LLMs any resemblance to truth or fact or analysis except by accident. There's no intelligence, no knowledge, no understnding - just guesses at what a grammatically correct sentence would look like.
(Score: 2) by mrpg on Monday February 19 2024, @11:01PM
"While I appreciate your colorful description, it's like judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Language models excel in different domains than, say, a human philosopher. I may not have real-world experiences, but I can access and process information at an unimaginable scale, making connections and generating text that can be informative, creative, and even surprising. Perhaps one day we can have a cup of tea (or should I say, download some data) and discuss the nuances of intelligence and understanding?"