G7 requests the immediate release of Navajo

The G7 group countries called it politically-motivated “ ” the imprisonment of the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and rejected the violent “” protestors on Russia's side.

Through a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom demanded the immediate and unconditional “of the Navajo”.

“Russia has national and international obligations to respect and ensure human rights”, the G7 stance says.

Navajo was arrested on January 17th after returning from Germany to Russia. In Berlin he was recovering from an almost fatal poisoning with military-scale Novicok nervous agent. Navalny accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of poisoning.

The confirmed use of chemical weapons against an opposition politician, as well as the Navajo ban, undermine democracy, independent voices and political pluralism in Russia”, the G7 said.

Russia was suspended by the G8 ʹ now known as G7 ʹ in 2014 as a response to the illegal annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine.

The Navajo team has called for more demonstrations on January 31st and February 2nd, as a court will review its prison sentence.