EU leaders call on Russia to free Navalny from jail
Alexei Navalny has been poisoned and jailed, but he still has Europe.
Leaders from the European Union on Thursday called on Russia to release Navalny, the opposition leader who was promptly imprisoned upon his return to his homeland this week.
Navalny, a vociferous critic of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested Sunday after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had received treatment following the high-profile poisoning that sent him into a coma on an August flight.
European Council President Charles Michel said leaders on the continent “expect Russia to urgently proceed with the independent and transparent investigation into the attack” on Navalny, according to The Associated Press.
He has claimed Putin ordered the poisoning. The Kremlin has denied involvement.
Navalny has been held at Matrosskaya Tishina, a Moscow jail, and he faces legal cases that he says are politically motivated. He was ordered Monday to spend 30 days in custody. And on Thursday, Russian authorities arrested two of Navalny’s top associates.
A team led by Navalny released a sprawling report on Tuesday claiming that Putin has a secret billion-dollar estate and urging Russians to take to the street this weekend in protest.
With News Wire Services
