European Council President calls Navalny's detention 'unacceptable', demands release

European Council president Charles Michel on January 17 condemned the detention of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, asking the Russian government to free the 44-year-old opposition leader after he was arrested at a Moscow airport. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Michel wrote: "The detainment of Alexey Navalny upon arrival in Moscow is unacceptable. I call on Russian authorities to immediately release him". Several world leaders, diplomats, and government officials raised calls against Navalny’s arrest. 

The Kremlin critic was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport at passport control. Navalny and his wife Yulia landed in the Russian capital at a different airport as officers of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) waited at a terminal of Moscow's Vnukovo airport to detain him. In the footages, officers were seen waiting at passport control of Vnukovo airport to take Putin’s political rival arrest when the flight was diverted to Sheremetyevo airport. 

Several world leaders opposed the anti-corruption campaigner’s detention following his return from the Siberian city of Omsk, Germany, where he was being treated at a military hospital against suspected FSB poisoning with Soviet-era nerve toxin Novichok. EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell echoed calls of Navalny’s release with his European counterpart Michel as he tweeted: "Russian authorities must respect Alexei Navalny's rights and release him immediately". He also said that the politicisation of the judiciary is unacceptable. 

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Meanwhile, US President-elect Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan joined the leaders in calls of condemnation, saying, “Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable”. Further, he tweeted, “The Kremlin's attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard”. 

EU 'threatens' sanctions against Moscow

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin immediately releases his political rival, adding that he deeply regretted Alexei Navalny’s arrest. "We note with grave concern that his detention is the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities,” Pompeo said. "Navalny is not a problem. We demand his immediate and unconditional release. Confident political leaders do not fear competing voices, nor commit violence against or wrongfully detain political opponents," added US secretary of state. Several European Union diplomats and leaders pressurized Russia to free Kremlin critic, threatening sanctions against Moscow.

[Police officers stand guard in a terminal of Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Credit: AP]

[Alexei Navalny is surrounded by journalists inside the plane. Credit: AP]

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