More than 40 countries on Monday demanded an independent international investigation into the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny -- and said President Vladimir Putin bore ultimate responsibility.
"We are outraged by the death of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny... Russia must allow an independent and transparent international investigation into circumstances of his sudden death," EU ambassador Lotte Knudsen told the UN Human Rights Council in a joint statement on behalf of 43 countries.