The foreign ministers of the G7 countries (Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Japan) were “united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms” on Tuesday 8 September the poisoning of Russian political opponent Alexei Navalny.
In a joint statement, the ministers described as “unacceptable” any use of chemical weapons anywhere, anytime, by anyone under any circumstances. This contravenes international standards against the use of these weapons, they added.
The G7 therefore called on Russia to “urgently and fully establish transparency on” the identity of the perpetrators of this “abhorrent” poisoning and, in the light of Russia’s commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring them to justice.
Recalling that Mr Navalny was an opposition figure, the Ministers considered that the attack against him constituted “another grave blow against democracy and political plurality in Russia”. “It constitutes a serious threat to those men and women engaged in defending the political and civil freedoms that Russia herself has committed to guarantee”, they added. The heads of diplomacy called on Russia to live up to its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to guarantee these rights to its citizens, including the right to freedom of expression.
Ministers warned that they would continue to follow closely Russia’s response to international calls for explanations of Mr Navalny’s “hideous” poisoning. “We remain strongly committed to our support for democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Russia and to bolster our support to the Russian civil society”, the Ministers warned.
Russia denounces disinformation campaign
A few hours after the publication of the G7 communiqué, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced, on Wednesday 9 September, a “vast campaign of disinformation”, considering that it was “clear proof that its initiators do not care about Navalny’s health [...], but are seeking to mobilise to impose sanctions”. The communiqué of the G7 ministers does not at any time threaten Russia with sanctions.
The Russian Ministry “insisted” that Germany provide it with information on Mr Navalny’s medical examination, including the results of his biochemical analyses, while Russia insists that no traces of poison were found in Mr Navalny’s body before his transfer to Germany. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)