US and EU demand release of Russian opposition leader Navalny as lawyers say they have been denied access to him

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen at the passport control point at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport where he was detained by officers for the Kremlin

Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV /AFP

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has condemned the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as "appalling", calling for the Kremlin critic’s release.

"It is appalling that Alexey Navalny, the victim of a despicable crime, has been detained by Russian authorities," Raab wrote on Twitter.

"He must be immediately released. Rather than persecuting Mr Navalny Russia should explain how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil," he added.

Mr Raab has joined the growing calls of condemnation from across the Western world, adding his voice to his German and American counterparts.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Russia should "immediately" release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after his detention at a Moscow airport.

Mr Navalny "took the conscious decision to return to Russia because he sees it as his personal and political home", Mr Mass said, adding it was "totally incomprehensible" that the Russian authorities arrested him on his arrival Sunday.

It is appalling that Alexey Navalny, the victim of a despicable crime, has been detained by Russian authorities. He must be immediately released.

Rather than persecuting Mr Navalny Russia should explain how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil.

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) January 18, 2021

The 44-year-old was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport less than an hour after he flew in from Germany, where he had been recovering from the poisoning with a nerve agent he says was ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday that the United States "strongly condemns" the arrest.

"The United States strongly condemns Russia’s decision to arrest Aleksey Navalny," Mr Pompeo said in a statement.

"We note with grave concern that his detention is the latest in a series of attempts to silence Mr Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities."

The US joined the European Union in condemning the move, with Mr Pompeo saying that "Mr Navalny is not the 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," he added.

Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia is photographed by a media scrum as she walks alone after arrival at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow

Credit: Pavel Golovkin /AP

The United States, the European Union, several EU governments, Canada and a senior aide to US President-elect Joe Biden immediately called for his release, with some in the EU urging new sanctions against Moscow.

Rights groups joined the calls, with Amnesty International saying Mr Navalny had become a prisoner of conscience and accusing Russian authorities of waging "a relentless campaign" to silence him.

Germany also wanted Russia to "investigate thoroughly the (poison) attack and bring the perpetrators to justice", the minister said.

Russia’s FSIN prison service said Mr Navalny was wanted for "multiple violations" of a 2014 suspended sentence for fraud, adding that "he will be held in custody" until a court ruling.

Mr Navalny fell violently ill in August on a flight from Siberia and was later flown to Berlin in an induced coma. Western experts concluded he was poisoned with the Soviet-designed nerve toxin Novichok.

The Kremlin denies any involvement and Russian investigators have said there are no grounds to launch a probe.