Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny participates in a demonstration to mark the 5th anniversary of the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and to protest the proposed amendments to the country’s constitution in Moscow, Russia, February 29, 2020.
Shamil Zhumatov | Reuters
Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the Russian government on Tuesday after Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny was sentenced to more than two years in prison.
The arrest of the opposition leader last month sparked massive protests across Russia, prompting hundreds of his supporters to be thrown into prison.
“The United States is deeply concerned about Russia’s actions towards Aleksey Navalny. We reiterate our call on the Russian government to release Mr. Navalny immediately and unconditionally, as well as hundreds of other Russian citizens unjustly detained in recent weeks for exercising their rights. rights “. Blinken said.
Navalny, a leading critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested for parole violations on January 17 when he returned from Germany to Russia, where he had been treated for a nervous agent poisoning last August.
He was accused of failing to contact his probation officer during this period regarding a suspended sentence related to 2014 fraud charges. Navalny called the case a political motive.
The opposition leader accused Putin of ordering poisoning with the nervous agent Novichok, but the Kremlin denied any involvement.
Last month, Blinken said the Biden government is reviewing other issues related to Russia, including the hacking of SolarWinds, reports of rewards posed by Russia to American forces in Afghanistan and potential election interference and will determine its response based on its findings.
–CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.