Countries slam Russia at UN over Navalny case
Dozens of countries yesterday took Russia to task at the UN over its imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and slammed numerous "arbitrary arrests" of his supporters.
In a historic joint statement delivered to the United Nations Human Rights Council, 45 countries voiced alarm at "the deteriorating situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms" in Russia, "manifested in particular by the unlawful detention, arrest and imprisonment of Mr Alexei Navalny."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. They called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Navalny and all others "unlawfully or arbitrarily detained."
Navalny was sentenced last month to two and a half years in a penal colony for breaching parole terms while in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack.
Decrying that his poisoning had yet to be "properly investigated and credibly explained," the countries said the actions by the Russian authorities and judiciary in the case were "unacceptable and politically motivated."
"They run counter to Russia's international human rights obligations, including the right to liberty and security of person and the right to a fair trial," said Zbigniew Czech, Poland's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, who read the statement on behalf of the group.
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