State Secretary Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenMenendez calls for sanction against Russia after Navalny protests 12:30 report from The Hill – Presented by Facebook – Experts react to data from J&J vaccine President of the World Economic Forum: Biden, Chinese president may meet in May in Singapore MORE condemned what he said were “harsh tactics” deployed “against peaceful protesters and journalists” during the recent protests in Moscow against Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinMenendez calls for sanction against Russia after Navalny protests. Biden puts US national security first by extending the New START Treaty.government on Sunday.
In a tweet, Blinken added that the US “renewed[s] our call for Russia to release detainees for exercising their human rights, including Aleksey Navalny, “after news reports indicated that thousands were arrested during the recent demonstrations.
The US condemns the persistent use of harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists by Russian authorities for the second consecutive week. We renew our call on Russia to release detainees for exercising their human rights, including Aleksey Navalny.
– Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 31, 2021
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Navalny is a strong critic of Putin, who doctors said was poisoned by a Soviet-era nerve agent named Novichok last year. He was arrested this month on his return to Russia after his recovery at a German hospital.
The Russian opposition figure has remained in detention ever since, with courts concluding that he violated the terms of his 2014 conviction for embezzlement, a conviction contested as politically motivated by the European Court of Human Rights.
His case was one of several “worrying issues” raised during President Biden’s first call with Putin earlier this month, according to White House officials.
“President Biden has made it clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to the actions of Russia that harm us or our allies. The two presidents agreed to maintain transparent and consistent communication in the future, ”said the White House in a statement after the call.