The U.S. and Europe reacted sharply to the verdict of the Moscow court against the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab demanded Navalny's immediate release.
“The UK calls for the immediate and unconditional release of @navalny and all of the peaceful protesters and journalists arrested over the last two weeks. Today’s perverse court decision shows Russia is failing to meet the most basic commitments expected of any responsible member of the international community,” he tweeted.
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State published a similar statement on Twitter, demanding Navalny to be released immediately.
"The United States is deeply concerned by Russia’s actions toward Aleksey Navalny. We reiterate our call for his immediate and unconditional release as well as the release of all those wrongfully detained for exercising their rights,” his statement reads.
The press-service of the Council of Europe published the official statement of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunya Miyatovich. She said Navalny's sentence is Russia's disregard for international obligations to protect human rights.
"Today's decision to convict Alexei Navalny to three and a half years in prison undermines trust and contradicts Russia's international human rights obligations. Mr Navalny should not have been arrested and tried in the first place because the criminal conviction that has served as a basis for today’s custodial sentence had already been considered arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable by the European Court of Human Rights. With this decision, the Russian authorities not only further exacerbate human rights violations as already established by the European Court of Human Rights, but they also send a signal undermining the protection of the rights of all Russian citizens and affecting the integrity of the European system of human rights protection. The Russian authorities should restore a climate of respect for human rights based on the international standards by which the Russian Federation is bound,” she claimed.
Natalia Zvyagina, Director of Amnesty International in Russia, also commented on the verdict: "In retaliation for Alexei Navalny and his supporters, the Russian authorities have finally destroyed the remnants of justice and respect for human rights. The politically motivated sentence handed down to Alexei Navalny shows the true face of the Russian government, which seem to intend to arrest anyone who dares to oppose their crimes and human rights violations... Today's court decision is the last evidence that the Russian authorities are finally untied, desperately trying to silence their critics”.
As was reported by Apostrophe, Navalny's supporters were massively detained while approaching the courthouse before the session.