The Russian opposition leader faced a dilemma that all dissenters in authoritarian states must grapple with: live in exile and fade into obscurity, or confront an oppressive regime and risk imprisonment and torture. Navalny’s choice – and the price he paid for making it – will inspire dissidents for generations to come.
NEW YORK – On January 17, 2021, when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been treated after being poisoned in Russia with the nerve agent Novichok, he said he was pleased to be going home. But he knew the risks involved: a long prison sentence, torture, even death.
Navalny, who died on February 16 in an Arctic penal colony, faced a dilemma that all political dissidents must grapple with: live in exile and fade into obscurity, or confront an oppressive regime and risk ending up a martyr. Either way, the chances of overthrowing the governments they oppose are virtually zero.
Even those who do not actively defy oppressive regimes, particularly those with the means to flee, face a similar choice: build a new life abroad, where they might not be warmly received, or stay in their home countries and live under the corrupting influence of dictatorship. Corruption is often made sweet by regimes that richly reward conformity – and crush the few people who refuse to conform.
NEW YORK – On January 17, 2021, when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been treated after being poisoned in Russia with the nerve agent Novichok, he said he was pleased to be going home. But he knew the risks involved: a long prison sentence, torture, even death.
Navalny, who died on February 16 in an Arctic penal colony, faced a dilemma that all political dissidents must grapple with: live in exile and fade into obscurity, or confront an oppressive regime and risk ending up a martyr. Either way, the chances of overthrowing the governments they oppose are virtually zero.
Even those who do not actively defy oppressive regimes, particularly those with the means to flee, face a similar choice: build a new life abroad, where they might not be warmly received, or stay in their home countries and live under the corrupting influence of dictatorship. Corruption is often made sweet by regimes that richly reward conformity – and crush the few people who refuse to conform.