EU slaps sanctions on 4 Russian officials over Kremlin critic Navalny's arrest

The European Union, on March 2, foisted restrictive measures on four senior Russian officials over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Listed over their roles in the arrest of the Kremlin critic and suppression of resulting protests, the four officials named were Head of investigations Alexander Bastrykin, prosecutor general Igor Krasnov, head of national guard Viktor Zolotov and head of federal prison services Alexander Kalashnikov.

"The Council today decided to impose restrictive measures on four Russian individuals responsible for serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, as well as widespread and systematic repression of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and freedom of opinion and expression in Russia," the bloc said in a statement.

As per the new ruling by the 27 state bloc, all four officials would now be banned from travelling to EU states and all their assets in Europe would remain frozen. Additionally, any institution or individual would be forbidden from making funds available to those listed, either directly or indirectly.

Read: UN Wants International Probe Of Navalny's Poisoning

Read: US Preparing To Impose Sanctions On Russia For Navalny Poisoning: Report

US mulls sanctions

Meanwhile, the US administration is also preparing to sanction Russia over the arbitrary detention of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny in coordination with the European Union (EU) next week, at least two administration officials familiar with the development informed sources of CNN. Both US and EU officials, in a parallel decision, will roll out the details of the punitive measures and their exact timing in the days ahead. In its first stern move against Moscow under the Biden administration, the US aims to convey a “strong message” to Russia against committing human rights violations, unlike former President Donald trump’s diplomatic approach. 

Read: UN Experts Urge Independent Probe Into Navalny's Poisoning

The detention of Navalny has sparked condemnation both nationally and internationally. Last week, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) asked the Vladimir Putin Administration to release Navalny citing threats to his life in Moscow’s high-security prison. However, Russia said it will ignore the ruling despite a requirement to comply as a member of the Council of Europe, calling the court’s decision “blatant and gross interference in the judicial affairs of a sovereign state”.

Read: Navalny Transferred To Vladimir Region East Of Moscow To Serve Jail Term In Penal Colony