Russia: kept in detention, Navalny calls for demonstrations
Alexe £ i Navalny on his arrival in Moscow on January 17, shortly before his arrest.
REUTERS - STAFF
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The main Russian opponent, Alexei Navalny, was arrested by the prison services on Sunday upon arriving in Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering from suspected poisoning, prompting immediate condemnation from the EU and the US and the UN.
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The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, condemned
the arrest of the Russian opponent
.
She called for his "
immediate release
".
An arrest "
arbitrary in violation of the principles of the rule of law
", according to the spokesperson for Chancellor Angela Merkel.
France says it is very concerned, Poland calls for a "
rapid and unequivocal response from the European Union
".
At the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is also calling for the “
immediate release
” of Alexei Navalny by reiterating its call for a thorough and independent investigation into his poisoning.
Across the Atlantic the reactions were not long in coming, Canada judged this arrest "
unacceptable
" and the future national security adviser of Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, calls to release Navalny and to "
hold responsible
" the authors of his. poisoning.
First response from Moscow: the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry asks foreign officials to "
respect international law
" and "
meddle in their own problems
".
This Monday, Alexeï Navalny called on the Russians to take to the streets "against power, in a video broadcast a few minutes before a court decision which placed him in detention until February 15.
"
What these bandits (in power) fear the most, you know, is that people take to the streets (...) so don't be afraid, take to the streets, not for me but for you even, for your future,
”he said in a video filmed in the courtroom and posted on social media.
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Russia
Alexei Navalny