[ad_1]
Many European governments summoned Russian diplomats on Monday following the death in prison of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Publication of:
1 minute
French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourne said he would summon Russia’s ambassador in Paris during a visit to Argentina, while Norway’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would seek “talks” with Russia’s top diplomat about Navalny’s death.
“The talks will convey the Norwegian position on the responsibility of Russian authorities for the deaths and the promotion of transparent investigations,” Norway said, adding that the talks had not yet taken place but would be held soon. .
This followed similar announcements earlier Monday that Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands had summoned diplomats from Russian embassies. The same thing happened in London on Friday night.
Navalny’s death was announced Friday at a remote prison in the Arctic. Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence in 2020 after surviving a poisoning at the hands of the Kremlin.
“Vladimir Putin’s government has once again shown its true colors,” France’s Séjourne said on Monday.
Western countries have criticized Putin’s death, three years into his sentence, and a month before a presidential election that is expected to strengthen Putin’s tight grip on power. They unanimously point out the responsibility of the authorities.
Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Russia to “release all political prisoners” on X (formerly Twitter) and confirmed that it called the ambassador on Monday.
“It’s terrible that Alexei Navalny paid the ultimate price in the fight for a free and democratic Russia,” Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Sloot wrote on X. We urge Russia to release Mr. Navalny’s body to his family.” And relatives too. ”
Earlier on Monday, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilström announced in a statement that he had summoned the Russian ambassador and called on the European Union to consider “a new sanctions regime targeting repression within Russia.”
On Friday, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Álvarez said Madrid was demanding clarification on the “circumstances” of the death.
(AFP)
[ad_2]
Source link
