China News Agency, Brussels, March 2 (Reporter De Yongjian) The European Union announced on the 2nd that it imposed sanctions on four officials including the Chairman of the Investigation Commission of the Russian Federation, Bastrekin, on the grounds of human rights issues.
The announcement issued by the Council of the European Union on the same day showed that the European Union invoked its “global human rights sanctions mechanism” released in December last year to remove Bastrekin, Prosecutor General Krasnov of the Russian Federation, and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian National Guard Zolo. Tov and Kalashnikov, the director of the Russian Federation’s Punishment Executive Directorate, are listed as targets of sanctions, freezing their property within the jurisdiction of the EU, prohibiting them from entering the EU, and prohibiting citizens and entities of EU member states from providing them with funds.
The announcement claimed that the four officials had "seriously violated human rights" and were responsible for "arbitrarily arresting, prosecuting and convicting" Russian opposition activist Navalny and even "suppressing" peaceful demonstrations in support of Navalny.
After the suspected poisoning incident in Navariny last August, this was the EU's re-imposed sanctions on Russian officials.
In October last year, the European Union invoked its “chemical weapons sanctions mechanism”, placing the head of the Russian Federal Security Service Boltnikov, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Popov and Krivoruchko, and the Russian President’s Office first. Deputy Director Kiriyenko and other six officials, as well as the Russian National Organic Chemistry and Technology Research Institute, are listed as targets of sanctions.
At present, the European Union has been accusing the Russian government of attempting to use the "Novijok" type nerve agent to "assassinate" Navalny and demanding that the Russian government unconditionally release Navalny. Russia has always denied involvement in it and called for not to politicize the incident. ; In February of this year, Navalny was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment by the Moscow District Court for fraud. The actual time he served was two and eight months.
The 2nd was also the first time that the European Union invoked its "global human rights sanctions mechanism" to impose sanctions on people from other countries.
This mechanism is often referred to as the European version of the "Magnitsky Act" because it targets the "Magnitsky Act" that links human rights issues with sanctions in the United States. It intends not only to use economic means to sanction the government of the target country, but also to " Violation of human rights is the basis of sanctions against individuals and entities in the target country. The main methods include freezing property and restricting entry.
(Finish)