On January 19, in a joint statement, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Baltic States condemn the detention of Aleksei Navalny by the Russian authorities, upon his return to Russia, in what is clear to be yet another attempt by the Russian authorities to silence the opposition and critical voices. As set out in the Statement, the Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mr Navalny and ensure his safety.
Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, Enn Eesmaa, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, and Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, emphasise in the Statement that Russia is bound by international obligations to the principle of the rule of law and the protection of civil rights, and detention of political opponents is against Russia’s international commitments and obligations, including those of the Council of Europe.
“Aleksei Navalny was a victim of a despicable crime on Russian territory — the poisoning attempt, using a military-grade nerve agent from the “Novichok” group developed by Russia, a finding confirmed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Instead of investigating these crimes, the Russian authorities have chosen to, yet again, deprive Aleksei Navalny of his liberty for exercising his human right to free speech,” pointed out Kols, with reference to the Statement.
The Baltic parliamentarians reiterate the call to the Russian authorities to open a criminal investigation into Navalny’s poisoning and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice in fair trial proceedings, according to the Statement. We call on the Russian authorities to immediately release Mr Navalny and cease their campaign of political persecution and intimidation against critics of the regime, note the MPs.
Drawing the necessary conclusions from these facts, we call on our European partners and the parliamentary assembles (including PACE) to be swift and forceful in their condemnation of Russia’s undemocratic methods, and consider additional sanctions targeting those responsible for the unlawful detention of Mr Navalny, as is underscored in the Statement.
Saeima Press Service