After prisoner exchange, US Vice President Harris calls Navalny's widow
Harris highlighted the use of Navalny and his husband, who died in a Russian prison camp in February, as symbols of a "democratic Russia," said the spokesperson.
The largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War also saw the release of two former employees of Navalny and an ex-employee from Russian custody.
Navalny described this in an online message as "great joy." Each release of a political prisoner is "a huge victory and a reason to celebrate," she said. No one should be a "hostage" of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and suffer and die in "Putin's prisons."
In early July, a Russian court issued an arrest warrant for Navalny, who is living in exile, for "involvement in an extremist organization." Shortly after, she was placed on a blacklist of "terrorists and extremists" by the financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring.
Navalny had announced after her husband's death that she would continue his work. The White House said on Thursday, in connection with the prisoner exchange, that it had unsuccessfully tried to secure the release of Navalny. The Kremlin critic died in Russian prison camp in February.
Despite the ongoing challenges, I'm not going to back down from continuing my husband's work and fighting for democratic freedoms in Russia. It's unfortunate that I'm still not free, as the Russian court issued an arrest warrant for my involvement in an extremist organization.
