Alexey Navalny was arrested at an airport in Moscow while trying to enter the country from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from zero-agent poisoning. blame the Kremlin.
The Kremlin was arrested on Sunday at passport control at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport which was widely expected as Russia’s prison service allegedly violated parole conditions from a sentence suspended on conviction. embezzlement in 2014.
The prison service said he would be remanded in custody pending a court ruling in his case. A date for the court appearance was not immediately announced.
The service earlier said it would try to serve Navalny his three-and-a-half-year sentence behind bars for the 2014 prosecution, which Navalny says is politically motivated.
His lawyers said Monday they have not had access to him since his arrest, and his condition was unknown.
Police officers are standing outside a police station where Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is being held, in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia January 18, 2021 [Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters]
Alexander Baunov, a senior at the Carnegie Moscow Center, described Navalny’s choice to return as “heroic”.
“It always will be [said] he was a brave man, who has no fear of the authorities, of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the law and order machine. Now is the time to confirm these claims, ”Baunov told Al Jazeera. “If he stayed abroad, it would reduce his claims.”
His arrest thwarted comments from world officials and leaders, many of whom demanded his immediate release.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that angry remarks reflect an attempt to “distract attention from the crisis of the Western development model”.
Al Jazeera’s Aleksandra Godfroid, reporting from Moscow, said the international reaction to the Kremlin was unlikely to be affected.
“We know from the past that the Russian authorities do not respond well to such requests and claims to the Kremlin,” Godfroid said. “That is to say, they are not going to force them to release Navalny or show him any mercy.”
Germany
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has urged Navalny’s immediate release, reaffirming Russia’s defense of civil rights.
“Russia is committed to its own constitution and to international obligations under the principle of the rule of law and the protection of civil rights,” Maas said in a statement.
“These principles, of course, must be applied to Alexei Navalny as well. He should be released immediately. “
Italy
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio called Navalny’s arrest a “very serious case”.
“We want her immediate release. And we expect his rights to be respected, “Luigi Di Maio said in a Twitter post.
L’arresto di Navalny al suo arrivo san Ruis è un fatto molto uaigh, che ci preoccupa. Ne chiediamo l’immediato rilascio. E ci aspettiamo che siano rispettati i suoi diritti.
– Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) January 17, 2021
Italian Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri also announced on Twitter that Navalny will be released immediately.
France
French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement that Paris was pursuing the situation with “full regard”.
“France notes with great concern the arrest of Mr. Alexei Navalny. With his European partners, he is following the situation with the utmost attention and demanding its immediate release. “
United Kingdom
“It is appalling that the Russian authorities have arrested Alexei Navalny, a victim of a notorious crime. She must be released immediately, ”said UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
“Instead of persecuting Mr Navalny, Russia should explain how chemical weapons came to be used on Russian soil.”
United States
Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser Joe Biden who is entering the White House, announced that Navalny has arrested him against human rights.
Mr. Navalny should be released immediately, and those who carried out the horrific attack on his life must be held accountable. Kremlin attacks on Mr. Navalny is not just a violation of human rights, but a support for the Russian people who want their voices to be heard.
– Jake Sullivan (@jakejsullivan) January 17, 2021
“Mr. Navalny should be released immediately, and those who carried out the horrific attack on his life must be held accountable,” Sullivan said on Twitter.
Kremlin attacks on Mr. Navalny is not just a violation of human rights, but a support for the Russian people who want their voices heard. “
Poland
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described the arrest of a Russian Democrat as “another attempt”.
“A quick and clear response at EU level is essential. Respect for citizens’ rights is a cornerstone of democracy, ”Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.
Zatrzymanie @Navalny gu kolejna phróba zastraszenia demokratycznej opozycji w Rosji. Szybka i jednoznaczna reakcja na poziomie UE jest niezbędna. Poszanowanie praw obywatelskich stanowi podstawy demokracji. Apeluję do władz w Rosji o natychmiastowe uwolnienie zatrzymanego.
– Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) January 17, 2021
“I appeal to the Russian authorities to release the detainee immediately.”
In September, Morawiecki described Russia as a “hostile regime” after Germany claimed Navalny had been poisoned by a Soviet-style agent Novichok zero agent.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
A member of the European Union Lithuania said it would call on the EU to impose new sanctions on Russia swiftly in response to Navalny’s arrest.
“We urge Russia to immediately release Navalny and those responsible for the seizure of his life,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement.
A Lithuanian statement, sent to Reuters, said Navalny was arrested in violation of human rights principles as set out by the European Council.
In an earlier tweet, the minister said neighboring EU countries Latvia and Estonia would work towards “deterrent measures” against Russia.