The European Union (E.U.) and the United States (U.S.) have demanded the release of Alexey Navalny after he was detained by the Russian police in the outskirts of Moscow on Sunday, i.e., January 17, 2021.
Navalny had just returned from Germany when he was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Navalny is one of the biggest critics of President of Russia – Vladimir Putin. He was returning after a period of 5 months, after getting treated in Germany for alleged poisoning with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group, which he says was given to him on the orders of Putin.
Speaking on the occasion, Navalny said, “This is the best day in the past five months.” He also said, “I feel completely fine walking towards the border control. I know that I will leave and go home because I’m right and all the criminal cases against me are fabricated.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany – Heiko Mass tweeted (translated from German), “Alexei #Nawalny after his recovery of his own accord and consciously returned to #Russland because that is where he sees his personal and political home. The fact that he was arrested by the Russian authorities immediately upon arrival is completely incomprehensible.” Original tweet in German:
Alexei #Nawalny ist nach seiner Genesung aus eigenen Stücken und bewusst zurückgekehrt nach #Russland, weil er dort seine persönliche und politische Heimat sieht. Dass er von den russischen Behörden sofort nach Ankunft verhaftet wurde, ist völlig unverständlich. (1/3)
— Heiko Maas 🇪🇺 (@HeikoMaas) January 18, 2021
The Foreign Minister of Italy – Luigi di Miao tweeted (translated from Italian), “Navalny’s arrest on his arrival in Russia is a very serious fact that worries us. We ask for his immediate release. And we expect your rights to be respected.” Original tweet in Italian:
L’arresto di Navalny al suo arrivo in Russia è un fatto molto grave, che ci preoccupa. Ne chiediamo l’immediato rilascio. E ci aspettiamo che siano rispettati i suoi diritti.
— Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) January 17, 2021
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of United Kingdom – Dominic Raab tweeted,
It is appalling that Alexey Navalny, the victim of a despicable crime, has been detained by Russian authorities. He must be immediately released.
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) January 18, 2021
Rather than persecuting Mr Navalny Russia should explain how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil.
Jake Sullivan, the incoming Security Advisor of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden tweeted,
Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable. The Kremlin’s attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard.
— Jake Sullivan (@jakejsullivan) January 17, 2021
Navalny’s flight from Berlin was scheduled to land at Vnukovo Airport, where a crowd of hundreds of supporters and journalists waited to greet him. But due to emergency situation it was diverted to Sheremetyevo Airport. Navalny apologised to his fellow passengers in the airplane as he believed that the landing destination was changed on instructions of Russian Government and that passengers have to suffer because of him.
Apologising to the co-passengers, Navalny said, “I would like to apologize to the passengers on this flight. As I understand, hundreds of people suffered because Vnukovo was closed, thousands of people apparently got stuck simply because the road to Vnukovo had been blocked, here traffic was restricted.”
Navalny was placed on the country’s federal wanted list last month for violating the terms of probation related to a years-old fraud case, which he dismisses as politically motivated.
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FPS), the federal agency of the Ministry of Justice of Russia conformed the detention of Navalny and said that he would remain in custody until his court hearing later this month. As of now, he is being held at a police station in the city of Khimki, just North of Central Moscow. However, he has been allowed to meet his lawyer.
As per the charges on Navalny, he was found guilty of fraud after he and his brother Oleg were accused of stealing 30 million Rubles (U.S. $ 540,000) from a Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics company – Yves Rocher. While Navalny was given a suspended sentence, his brother was jailed. Navalny’s case will be heard on January 29, 2021. If proved guilty, Navalny will likely be jailed for 3.5 years. If Navalny is not convicted, he will still face an investigation for a newer fraud case, in which he and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been accused of misusing donations from supporters.
