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
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned the “persistent use of harsh tactics” by Russian authorities on peaceful protesters who took to the streets across Russia on Sunday to call for the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
For the second consecutive weekend, tens of thousands gathered across the country in an effort to raise awareness for Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was arrested earlier this month by authorities.
More than 4,500 people were arrested by Russian authorities for participating in the protests, according to a monitoring group.
“We renew our call for Russia to release detainees for exercising their human rights, including Aleksey Navalny,” Blinken wrote in a tweet.
Last year, Navalny was evacuated for medical reasons from a Russian hospital to Germany after he fell ill, after reports that something was added to his tea. Russian doctors who treated Navalny denied that the Kremlin critic was poisoned and blamed the low state of his blood sugar for his coma.
In September, the German government said the 44-year-old Russian dissident was poisoned by a chemical nerve agent, describing the toxicology report as “unequivocal evidence”. The nervous agent was from the Novichok family, developed by the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied having a role in Navalny’s poisoning.
Earlier this month, Navalny flew from Berlin, Germany, to Russia, where he has spent nearly half a year recovering since he was poisoned last summer. He was arrested at passport control.
Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Navalny, alleging that he violated the terms of a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence he received in 2014 on charges of embezzlement.
“Mr. Navalny must be released immediately, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held responsible,” wrote Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, on Twitter after his arrest.
Last week, Blinken expressed “deep concern” about Navalny’s treatment and the wider human rights situation in Russia.
“It remains striking to me how worried, and perhaps even scared, the Russian government appears to be of one man, Mr. Navalny,” Blinken told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
The recently confirmed US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, addresses reporters during his first press conference at the State Department in Washington on January 27, 2021.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
“In general, as the President said, we are reviewing all of these actions that are of great concern to us, be it Mr. Navalny’s treatment and, in particular, the apparent use of a chemical weapon in an attempt to murder him,” added the main diplomat in the country.
Blinken also said on Wednesday that the Biden government was reviewing the SolarWinds hack, reports of rewards placed by Russia on American forces in Afghanistan and potential interference in the elections.
Biden had already promised “to work with our allies and partners to hold the Putin regime accountable for its crimes”. He had also accused the Trump administration of not taking a tough enough stance on Moscow.