“The legacy of Alexei Navalny lives on.” 15 countries of the world demanded the release of Russian political prisoners

15 countries of the world issued a joint statement on the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian colony. Its text is published on the website of the German Foreign Ministry.

The statement emphasizes that responsibility for the death of the politician “lies solely with the Russian authorities.” The authors of the statement demand a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the circumstances of Navalny’s death, taking into account the latest data , according to which the oppositionist was poisoned in the colony with epibatidine, the poison of a tree frog.

At the same time, countries around the world demanded the release of all political prisoners in Russia - according to OVD-Info, there are now more than 1,700 people behind bars for political reasons.

The Kremlin has consolidated and expanded its arsenal of repressive methods, and abuses of state security laws in particular have led to harsh sentences against human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, doctors and many others. Alexei Navalny's legacy lives on, and we continue to support the courageous Russian human rights defenders and representatives of independent civil society who continue to work even in the face of increasing personal risks.

Earlier, the Kremlin called the accusations against the Russian authorities in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny “biased and groundless.” “We resolutely reject them,” said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.