Hundreds attend candlelit vigil in Rome for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

(19 Feb 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: NIGHT SHOTS ASSOCIATED PRESS Rome - 19 February 2024 1. Close of picture of Alexei Navalny, flowers and candles, message under picture reading (in Italian) “Killed by Putin, killed but not weakened” 2. Tilt up of flowers and Navalny’s portrait, message reading (in Italian) “In memory of Alexei Navalny” 3. Various of people gathering for the vigil at the Capitoline Hill, Rome City Hall 4. Various of people holding candles during vigil 5. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Francesca Millozzi, demonstrator: “It’s a violent system (in Russia), I don’t know how to properly say it, because words are not enough. I feel so sad, more than angry, I feel sad.” 6. Navalny’s portrait projected on the face of Rome City Hall, candle in the foreground 7. Women holding candles 8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nikita (no surname given), Russian living in Italy: “Alexei’s (Navalny) death hurts me, I wanted to be here with people who share the same pain, people who would understand it.” 9. Various of vigil 10. Navalny’s image projected on Rome City Hall STORYLINE: Hundreds of people took part in a candlelight vigil in Rome on Monday evening to express their anger following Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died suddenly on Friday in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, Russia’s prison agency said. He was 47. Demonstrators gathered in front of Rome City Hall, on the Capitoline Hill holding candles and leaving flowers under a giant portrait of Navalny as his image was also projected on to the walls of City Hall. “I feel so sad, more than angry, I feel sad,“ one woman at the vigil said. “I wanted to be here with people who share the same pain, people who would understand it,” said a Russian national who attended the vigil. Navalny’s death sent shockwaves across Europe. He had been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Since then, he received three prison sentences, all of which he rejected as politically motivated. Russian authorities said that the cause of Navalny’s death Friday is still unknown — and the results of any investigation are likely to be questioned abroad. Many Western leaders have already said they hold Putin responsible for the death. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel 44(0)2074827482 Email: info@. Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: