The United States and Europe have condemned the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was detained when he returned to Russia for the first time since a suspected poisoning by the FSB last year.
Joe Biden’s incoming national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, called for Navalny’s immediate release, adding that the “perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life should be held accountable”.
Jake Sullivan
(@jakejsullivan)Mr. Navalny should be released immediately, and the culprits of the outrageous attack on his life should be held accountable. The Kremlin’s attacks on Mr. Navalny is not only a violation of human rights, but an insult to the Russian people who want to make their voices heard.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington condemned the decision to arrest the opposition leader, calling his detention “the latest in a series of attempts to oust Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices critical of the Russian, to silence authorities ”.
“Confident political leaders are not afraid of competitive voices and also do not commit violence against political opponents or hold them wrong,” he added.
Navalny was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, less than an hour after flying in from Germany, where he had recovered from the poisoning with nerve agent Novichok, which he said was ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
European Council President Charles Michel said Navalny’s detention was “unacceptable”. ‘I call on Russian authorities to release him immediately, ”Michel tweeted.
The French Foreign Ministry agrees with the call: “With its European partners, it is following the situation with the utmost vigilance and is asking for his immediate release,” spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.
The British Foreign Office said it was “deeply concerned” about Navalny’s detention: “Instead of prosecuting the victim of this horrific crime, the Russian authorities should investigate how a chemical weapon is used on Russian soil. “
British opposition MPs have also criticized Russia’s actions. Secretary of State Lisa Nandy said Navalny was’ the victim of a cowardly attack on chemical weapons. He showed great courage to return to his homeland. His detention is unjustifiable and an insult to the Russian people. He must be released immediately and his attackers brought to justice. ”
Britain’s defense committee chairman Tobias Ellwood, a government MP, called Navalny’s decision to return to Russia “incredibly brave”.
Poisoned by the FSB, he chooses to return to Russia and has now been arrested.
Incredibly brave stance at Navalny in the name of democracy as we head to the Russian parliamentary elections. ”
The flight from Navalny was due to the Vnukovo airport in Moscow, where hundreds of supporters gathered. Authorities closed the airport at the last minute and diverted Navalny’s plane to Sheremetyevo, away from the waiting press.
Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said in a tweet that Navalny had not allowed to see a lawyer at the airport or at the police station.
Prior to the arrival of Navalny, the Russian prison service said the 44-year-old had violated the parole conditions of a suspended sentence on a 2014 conviction.