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“I condemn the arrest of Alexei Navaln,” von der Layen said in a statement. “The Russian authorities must immediately release him and guarantee his safety.”
The president of the European Commission also reiterated Brussels’ call for an independent investigation into the Navalna assassination attempt.
A 44-year-old Kremlin critic was arrested at the Moscow airport on Sunday after flying back from Germany, where he was treated for several months after trying to poison him.
Western experts discovered that he was poisoned by the nerve paralyzing substance Novičiok, developed in the Soviet Union.
Following Navaln’s arrest, calls were made to Western countries to impose new sanctions on the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr von Layen did not mention what the steps of the European Union would be.
“We will closely monitor the situation,” he said.
“We also continue to await a full and independent investigation into the attack on Alexei Navaln’s life,” added the head of the European Commission.
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed grave concern on Monday over Navaln’s arrest and called on the Russian opposition to be released immediately.
“We are very concerned about the arrest of Alexei Navaln and urge his immediate release, respect for his right to a fair trial in accordance with the rule of law.
We reiterate our call for a full and impartial investigation into his poisoning, “said a statement from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Twitter.
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