WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2021) The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Tuesday said in a joint statement that they condemn the arrest of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning the politically motivated arrest and detention of Alexey Navalny," the statement said.
On Saturday, multiple unauthorized protests took place in various regions of Russia instigated by supporters of Navalny. Both the Russian Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office warned that persons participating in the events would liable for prosecution.
The G7 foreign ministers expressed concern over the detention of participants in the protest rallies and urged Russian authorities to release them.
"The violent suppression by police forces of the right of individuals to express their opinion is unacceptable. These events confirm a continuous negative pattern of shrinking space for the opposition, civil society, human rights defenders and independent voices in Russia," they said.
The G7 ministers urged Russia to fulfill its international obligations and release Navalny immediately as well as investigate the alleged attempt to poison Navalny in August.
"G7 Foreign Ministers recall their condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the poisoning of Mr. Navalny in August 2020 with a chemical nerve-agent of the 'Novichok' group, a substance developed by Russia," the statement said.
The G7 promised to monitor Russia's response on situation with Navalny, it added.
On January 18, a Moscow court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in prison for violating the probation terms of his suspended sentence on fraud charges.
