Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is attending a rally to mark the 5th anniversary of the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and to protest against the proposed amendments to the country’s constitution in Moscow, Russia, on February 29, 2020.
Shamil Zhumatov | Reuters
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday condemned the Russian government after Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny was sentenced to more than two years in prison.
The arrest of the opposition leader last month sparked mass protests across Russia, leading to the throwing of hundreds of his supporters into prison.
“The United States is deeply concerned about Russia’s actions against Aleksey Navalny. We reiterate our call for the Russian government to release Mr Navalny immediately and unconditionally, as well as hundreds of other Russian citizens wrongly detained in recent weeks for exercising their rights.” , Said Blinken.
Navalny, a senior critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested for conditional violations on January 17 on his return to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for a nerve poisoning that took place in August last year.
He was accused of failing to keep in touch with his conditional officer at the time regarding a suspended sentence related to the 2014 fraud allegations. Navalny called the case politically motivated.
The opposition leader accused Putin of ordering poisoning with nerve agent Novichok, but the Kremlin denied any involvement.
Last month, Blinken said the Biden administration is examining other Russia-related issues, including SolarWinds piracy, reports of Russian rewards of US forces in Afghanistan and potential electoral interference, and will determine the response based on its findings.
–CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to the report.