The Diplomat
The Spanish government yesterday called for the release of those detained last Saturday at demonstrations in support of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was also arrested upon his return to Russia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published yesterday, on its Twitter account, that “Spain follows with concern the situation in Russia, deeply regrets the excessive use of force and the arrests of citizens who have participated in demonstrations in support of Alexei Navalny, calls for their rights to be respected and for their immediate release”.
This is the first express manifestation of the Spanish Government in relation to Navalny’s situation, since, until now, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, had limited herself to sharing a tweet of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, in which she asked the “Russian authorities” to respect “the rights” of Navalny and to release him “immediately”, adding that “the politicization of the judiciary is unacceptable”.
