Polish foreign minister urges Russia to free Navalny
The Polish foreign minister has appealed to the Russian authorities to release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and to stop the repression of his supporters.
Ignoring pleas from the West, a Russian court jailed Navalny on Tuesday for three-and-a-half-years in prison, of which he will have to serve two years and eight months because of time already spent under house arrest.
Thousands of Russian citizens demonstrating against Navalny’s treatment have been arrested and detained in massive police operations.
"Alexei @navalny has become a victim of political persecution that violates the basic principles of the rule of law," Zbigniew Rau wrote in a Twitter post. "I call upon the Russian authorities to release Mr. Navalny and to cease the application of repressive measures against his supporters."
The ruling will be appealed by Navalny's lawyers.
In 2014, a Russian court handed Navalny a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence for allegedly embezzling funds of French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. The European Court of Human Rights has challenged the ruling. (PAP)
