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Navaln’s arrest at the Moscow airport in January was condemned by Russian and foreign human rights groups, as well as Western leaders, who seek to punish Moscow for it.
However, Amnesty International has said that it has decided to revoke the prison of conscience status of the 44-year-old anti-corruption prisoner, “in light of the comments he has made in the past”.
The London-based activist organization did not make specific statements about Navaln, but was criticized early in his political career more than a decade ago for his unfavorable approach to immigration.
“Some of these comments, which Navaln has not publicly condemned, go beyond hate propaganda, which goes against Amnesty’s definition of a prisoner of conscience,” the NGO said.
Even so, representatives of the organization stressed that they will continue to demand the release of the opposition.
“As far as we know, Navaln has not made similar statements in recent years and this decision does not change our determination to fight for his immediate release,” Amnesty International said.
The NGO added that it handed over more than 200,000 to the Russian government last week. a petition signed by the people demanding the immediate release of Mr. Navalna.
In response to Amnesty International’s decision, the opposition leader’s team accused the group of succumbing to a pressure campaign by a commentator linked to Russian state media.
Leonid Volkov, Navaln’s right-hand man, wrote on Twitter that Amnesty International’s decision amounted to admitting that “we believed in nonsense and we like it”, and close opposition adviser Ivan Zhdanov called the NGO’s move “very shameful. “.
The 44-year-old Kremlin critic was arrested as soon as he returned to his homeland from Germany, where he was treated for several months after a poisoning attack. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for violating the terms of probation while receiving treatment abroad.
In recent years, Navaln has become one of the main critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announcing anti-corruption investigations and organizing protests.
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