The European Parliament said Russian President Vladimir Putin bears "criminal and political responsibility" for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, one of Putin's fiercest critics, died in prison on 16 February under unclear circumstances, but EU leaders blamed his death on the Russian president.
"The Russian government and Vladimir Putin personally bear criminal and political responsibility for the death of their most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny," said the parliament's resolution, adopted by 506 votes in the 705-seat parliament. Only nine lawmakers voted against the resolution.
Putin "must be held accountable," the resolution said.
MPs also called for an "independent and transparent international investigation" into the circumstances surrounding Navalny's death.
In addition, the parliament asked the 27 EU member states to "step up" their support for Russian political prisoners and to continue supporting the democratic opposition in Russia.
Navalny's funeral will take place on 1 March in a Moscow church.
On 28 February, his widow Yulia Navalny told the European Parliament that she feared the event could be marred by riots and arrests.
The opposition leader became famous for his campaign against corruption at the top of Putin's administration.
In 2020, Navalny narrowly survived poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent developed in the USSR. After treatment in Germany, he returned to Russia in 2021 and was immediately arrested and subsequently imprisoned.
Later that year, he received the EU's highest award for rights, the Sakharov Prize.
Russian authorities announced that Navalny had died of "natural causes" after losing consciousness following a walk in his Arctic prison colony.
That claim was rejected by his family, his supporters and Western officials. / BGNES
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