EU reiterates demand for "immediate" release of Kremlin critic Navalny
"Russia's political leadership is responsible for his health and safety in prison and will be held accountable," Borrel continued. Navalny is the victim of "politically motivated imprisonment".
The opposition figure's supporters had declared on Monday that they had had no contact with him for almost a week. The US government expressed its "deep concern" and called for the opposition figure's "immediate" release.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin criticized US "interference" in the Navalny case. "We are talking about a prisoner who has been found guilty by law and is serving the prison sentence imposed on him," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "Any interference, including from the US, is unacceptable."
Navalny's supporters had reported that the Kremlin critic had missed several court dates. Lawyers had been told that he had been released from prison. His spokeswoman Kira Yarmish explained that an employee of the IK-6 penal colony had said that Navalny had "left the colony". However, no one knew where he had been taken.
A court had increased Navalny's prison sentence to 19 years in the summer for "extremism". It also ordered his transfer to a penal camp with stricter prison conditions. Transfers from one prison camp to another often take several weeks in Russia.
The opponent of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was arrested on his return to Russia in January 2021 after being poisoned in the summer of 2020 and subsequently spending several months in hospital in Berlin.
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has further intensified its crackdown on Navalny, his confidants and the opposition in general. Most of the well-known activists and opposition figures have now left Russia or are in prison.
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- The EU strongly affirmed its demand for a "more immediate" release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Russia.
- Josép Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that Russia's political leadership is responsible for Navalny's health and safety in prison and will be held accountable.
- Following the US government's call for the immediate release of Navalny, the Kremlin criticized the US for "interference" in the Navalny case.
- On Twitter, supporters of Navalny demanded his release and expressed concern about his whereabouts, as there had been reports of his missing several court dates and being released from prison, but no one knew his current location.
- The increase of Navalny's prison sentence to 19 years in the summer for "extremism" and his subsequent transfer to a penal camp with stricter prison conditions raised questions about the fairness of the Russian judicial system, as transfers from one prison camp to another often take several weeks in Russia.
- The opposition figure's supporters and the international community have been vocal in their demand for his release, with the USA and EU both expressing concern over his health and safety in Russian prisons.
- The Kremlin's crackdown on Navalny, his confidants and the opposition in general has intensified since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, making it increasingly difficult for opposition figures to operate within the country.
Source: www.stern.de
