Germany calls for “immediate release” of Navalny

Frankfurt: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas asked Russia on Monday to “immediately release” opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was arrested on Sunday upon his arrival in Moscow from Germany.

Maas said Navalny, who underwent treatment following an alleged poisoning in August, “made a conscious decision to return to Russia because he considers it his personal and political home” and his arrest by Russian authorities upon arrival “is totally incomprehensible. “

The minister noted that Russia is bound by its own constitution and its international obligations regarding the rule of law and the protection of civil rights, adding: “These principles, of course, must apply” to Alexei Navalny, “who should be released immediately. “

The German minister said that a “serious poisoning” targeted Navalny on Russian soil, and Berlin calls on Moscow to “thoroughly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The anti-corruption activist and arch-enemy of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, 44, has been persecuted since the end of December by the Russian prison authorities, accused of violating the terms of a sentence handed down against him suspended in 2014.

On Sunday, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, considered Navalny’s arrest “unacceptable” and demanded his “immediate” release, while France expressed “deep concern”.

He has been living in Germany since the end of August after falling seriously ill during his return trip from Siberia to Moscow as part of an election campaign. He was hospitalized in Omsk, where he remained for 48 hours, then he was transferred to Berlin in a coma under pressure from those close to him.