The Biden government is “deeply concerned” about a Russian court’s decision on Tuesday to sentence opposition leader Alexei Navalny to a 32-month prison term, officials said, reiterating his demand that Moscow immediately release Navalny and others detained for protesting his arrest.
“Like every Russian citizen, Mr. Navalny has a right to the rights provided for in the Russian constitution, and Russia has international obligations to respect equality before the law and the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenBiden admin ‘deeply concerned’ with the sentence of the Russian court of Navalny Navalny sentenced to 2.5 years in prison Senate confirms Buttigieg as Secretary of Transport MORE said in a statement.
“Even as we work with Russia to promote US interests, we will work in partnership with our allies and partners to hold Russia accountable for not defending the rights of its citizens,” added Blinken.
A Moscow court on Tuesday ruled that Navalny should serve a prison sentence for violating the terms of his 2014 parole. Russian prosecutors argued that he violated the conditions of his release by failing to register while recovering from an attack by nervous agent in Germany last year. The United States and other nations blamed the Russian Federal Security Service for Navalny’s poisoning; Russia has denied involvement.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiWhite House says Space Force work will continue with Biden’s immigration orders: ‘I’m eliminating bad policy’ Biden offers condolences to the families of FBI agents killed in Florida MORE reiterated Blinken’s statement during a briefing on Tuesday afternoon, saying the White House is “deeply concerned” about the decision to sentence Navalny and calling on the Russian government to release Navalny and other Russians who have been unjustly detained. It did not specify any action the United States would take in response.
President Biden has ordered a wide-ranging intelligence review of Russian aggression, including Moscow’s involvement in Navalny poisoning, as well as the SolarWinds hack, electoral interference and reports of Russian rewards to US forces in Afghanistan.
“This is an ongoing review by the national security team. When they complete this, they will launch … a political process to determine what steps we will take from here, ”said Psaki.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday afternoon that authorities are working on the comprehensive review “very quickly” and would not rule out taking action in response to Navalny’s treatment of Russia earlier that the entire review is complete. The review is being chaired by the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
Avril HainesGrenell congratulates Buttigieg for becoming the second openly gay member of the Cabinet, Biden admin ‘deeply concerned’ by the sentence of the Russian Navalny Senate court confirms Buttigieg as Secretary of Transport MORE.
“The president instructed his DNI to conduct this review precisely so that we can have a holistic picture of what the Russians have been doing in recent years so that we can ensure that our policy options, which would include sanctions, but not necessarily the extent of it, are calibrated appropriately, ”Price told reporters.
Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in 2014 for extortion. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Navalny’s 2014 sentence was politically motivated. He was arrested in Russia last month, sparking widespread protests across the country.
The Biden government has signaled that it plans to take a firm approach to address Russian aggression and, at the same time, try to work with Moscow on issues of mutual interest, including agreeing to a five-year extension to the new START nuclear weapons treaty with Moscow, which should expire this month. Biden spoke to Putin last week and pressured him about Moscow’s treatment of Navalny, as well as other areas of concern.