Don’t lose sight of the other Navalnys

Russia holds a three-day presidential election starting Friday, and the result is not in doubt: President Vladimir Putin has rigged the process to ensure he holds power for another six years, at least. This farce thus extends Russia’s tragedy, the most heartbreaking recent manifestation of which was the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident, in an Arctic prison. The best way to mark Mr. Putin’s reelection is by remembering Mr. Navalny — along with the fact that, as a political prisoner, he was far from alone, either in Russia, or around the world.

These are the other Navalnys. Among them is Washington Post Opinions contributor Vladimir KaraMurza, arrested two years ago for his strong criticism of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. A journalist, historian and political activist, Mr. Kara-Murza was absurdly accused of treason and sentenced to 25 years. Another principled prisoner in Russia is Ilya Yashin, a political activist, unjustly sentenced to 8 ½ years in December 2022 on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military.

In Cuba, dissident José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, has been repeatedly punished for imaginary offenses. Detained in 2021 amid a national uprising against the Communist regime, he is currently serving a four-year term at the Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba. His family said they have not had contact with him for a year and reported he is in poor health.

A voice for the same ideals that motivated Mr. Navalny is Ales Bialiatski of Belarus, founder of Viasna, a group that since 1996 has fought for civil society and against human rights violations under the erratic autocrat, President Alexander Lukashenko. Mr. Bialiatski, a winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, was arrested in July 2021 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for purportedly bringing money into the country to support mass demonstrations against Mr. Lukashenko’s theft of the 2020 presidential election.

In Turkey, the government of autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala for life on charges the European Court of Human Rights has described as based upon “an absence of facts, information or evidence.” Mr. Kavala was engaged in exclusively peaceful protest and organizing.

Salma al-Shehab, the mother of two young children, a researcher at the University of Leeds, took time off to go home to Saudi Arabia. Ms. Shehab is a women’s rights activist and a Shiite Muslim, a persecuted minority in the kingdom. Saudi authorities detained her in 2021 after she posted on Twitter demanding freedom for Loujain alHathloul, who campaigned for women’s right to drive and was incarcerated and tortured for it. Ms. Shehab’s sentence, 34 years in prison, later reduced to 27 years, is surely one of the most draconian ever for a single social media post.

There are more, from China to Egypt, from Iran to Myanmar. They are the victims of dictators and autocrats who cannot tolerate free speech and assembly. We cannot forget the other Navalnys.