St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 31, 2021 – Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been arrested by the government, prompting demonstrations in the streets and large numbers of riot police.
On Friday, Feb. 5, Russia expelled diplomats from Germany, Sweden and Poland for participating in “illegal protests” in support of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which interfered with “Russia’s internal affairs. The protesters were also involved in “illegal protests” in support of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which interfered with “Russia’s internal affairs.
The news came hours after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday.
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On Tuesday (Feb. 2), a Russian court sentenced Navalny to three and a half years in prison for “violating the conditions of his probation,” which sparked massive protests by Navalny supporters and led to nearly 1,400 arrests in Russia on Tuesday, with observers analyzing that more than 850 people were detained in Moscow alone as a result.
Last August, Navalny was sent to Germany for treatment for a deadly nerve agent attack. He has been in detention since his return to Russia last month.
The past two weekends have been marked by a massive police crackdown and violent clashes in support of Navalny across Russia. Social media posts show that police have beaten and arrested some of the protesters in support of Navalny, and at least 5,000 people have been arrested.
Biden calls for Navalny’s release, Russia denies provocation
In his first foreign policy speech as president the day before (Thursday), Biden called on the Russian government to “immediately and unconditionally release” Navalny, while the Russian government slammed Biden for “very provocative and empty rhetoric.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Biden’s speech by saying, “Unfortunately, this is very provocative and unconstructive rhetoric.” “Any ultimatum hint is unacceptable to us. We have already said that we do not pay attention to any didactic statements.”
Peskov also said that although the U.S. and Russia “have very different views on many key issues,” Moscow wants to continue working with the Biden Administration to the extent that it is in the interests of both sides.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Navalny and said he would work closely with allies to hold Russia accountable for its “failure to uphold the rights of its citizens.
In addition, Western countries such as Britain, France and Germany have called for Russia’s immediate release, while Lithuania and Latvia have urged the EU to impose sanctions on Russia. The Council of Europe and the continent’s leading human rights body called the verdict “damaging to all of [Russia’s] credibility.
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