On 3 August, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, strongly condemned on behalf of the EU the additional 19-year prison sentence imposed on Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny earlier in the day “for actions which constitute legitimate political and anti-corruption activities”.
In his statement, the High Representative strongly deplored the fact that the court hearings took place in a closed setting in a strict regime prison colony outside Moscow, where Mr Navalny is already serving a politically motivated sentence of 11 and a half years. “This is a stark indication that the Russian legal system continues to be instrumentalised against Mr Navalny. It also shows how much Russian authorities are afraid of him”, according to the EU. According to Mr Borrell, Mr Navalny’s conviction is “yet another example of the continued systematic crackdown by the Russian authorities, and their disregard for the human rights of their own citizens”.
The High Representative once again called for Mr Navalny’s immediate and unconditional release.
Stressing its deep concern at reports of repeated ill-treatment, unjustified and unlawful disciplinary measures and harassment amounting to physical and psychological torture by the prison authorities against Mr Navalny, the EU highlighted that the Russian political leadership was responsible and accountable for Mr Navalny’s safety and health. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)