Berlin (dpa) – Following the death of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested an interview with the Russian ambassador. A spokesperson for the ministry said that the politically motivated trials of Navalny and many other critics of the Russian government were, along with the inhumane conditions of their incarceration, a sign of the brutality employed by the Russian judicial system against those who think differently, and the means which President Vladimir Putin is using to suppress the freedom of opinion in Russia. “We condemn this in the strongest possible terms and call expressly for the release of all those in Russia who are incarcerated for political reasons,” the spokesperson said.
Germany and other EU states want to impose additional sanctions on Russia following Navalny’s death. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock explained they plan to use a special EU sanctions tool to punish violations of human rights. Navalny died in a Russian prison camp.
