Amnesty International (AI) denounced on Monday that The Kremlin has unleashed a “merciless persecution” against the structures and followers of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who was arrested a year ago today on his return to Moscow from Berlin and has been in prison ever since.
“Over the past twelve months, the Russian authorities have launched an unprecedented campaign of repression and persecution against the illegally imprisoned Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, and his supporters, destroying what remained of the right to freedom of expression and association.”, underlined AI in a statement.
In the year since Navalni’s arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, “the politician, his supporters and Russian civil society organizations have been subjected to ruthless harassment by the authorities,” said Marie Struthers, AI Europe director. eastern and central Asia.
He added that dozens of Navalni’s companions and supporters have been brought to justice with false accusations and a “larger number is already in prison.”
“Some of Alexei Navalni’s colleagues managed to flee the country, but now they fear that their relatives in Russia will be persecuted and could go to jail. In the year since his arrest, Navalni’s life and that of political activists linked to him has become hell.”Struthers added.
He demanded an immediate end to the “ruthless persecution unleashed by the Kremlin, which is obsessed with the idea of silencing and smearing Alexei Navalny and his supporters.”
Last Friday, the Russian authorities included the exiled Russian oppositionists Leonid Vólkov and Iván Zhdánov, close collaborators of Navalny, in a list of people linked to extremist and terrorist activities.
In June of last year, the Russian Justice outlawed several organizations created by Navalny, which he declared extremists, for which all their members were prevented from standing as candidates in any type of election.
Navalny was arrested on his return from Germany, where he recovered from an assassination attempt perpetrated in Siberia with a chemical for military use, and days later he was sent to prison, where he is serving a two-and-a-half sentence for failing to comply while convalescing. of his parole for an old criminal case.
(With information from EFE)
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Source-www.infobae.com