The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday at the age of 47, in a Siberian prison camp. Long an opponent of Vladimir Putin and the ruling United Russia Party, Navalny organized huge anti-government protests, ran for office, and worked tirelessly to expose corruption at every level of the political hierarchy. In 2021, Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent and nearly died. After being treated successfully in Germany, he returned to Russia to continue his work, fully aware of what was ahead of him. He was arrested at the airport and has been incarcerated ever since.

We recently editorialized on the jailing of his lawyers when they tried to enjoin his removal to the notorious Siberian Gulag where he died. World leaders swiftly condemned what happened to Navalny, declaring, to a person, that he paid with his life for opposing a system of oppression. He was a symbol of hope for his countrymen. His loss is incalculable. But we are reminded of the words of Martin Luther King Jr. on the night before his assassination: "I may not be there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." That must have been one of Alexei Navalny's last thoughts. We mourn his loss with his family. His life and death are a stark reminder of how much the rule of law depends on people of his courage and is never to be taken for granted.