OTTAWA (CU)_The Foreign Ministry of Canada said on Wednesday (24 March) that it is imposing new sanctions on nine Russian officials over violation of human rights in the country, in line with measures previously taken by the United States and the European Union.
According to the Ministry, the sanctions were a part of Canada’s efforts to bring pressure on senior government officials in Moscow who were involved in “the attempted murder” of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, as well as his subsequent prosecution and the heavy handed, violent treatment of citizen protesters.
“The Russian government has repeatedly shown its unwillingness to respect the basic rights of its own people and address concerns raised on multiple occasions by the International Community,” Marc Garneau, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said.
“Alongside our partners, Canada will continue to increase pressure on the Russian government to unconditionally release Mr. Navalny and his supporters who have been unlawfully detained. Russia’s gross human rights violations will not go unanswered.”
The Foreign Ministry noted that the Kremlin’s ongoing treatment of Navalny demonstrates its “contempt for the rule of law”, and Moscow’s willingness to violate human rights, while the suppression of peaceful protests and the detention of over 10,000 protestors highlights the government’s intention to target “opposition voices and those it deems threatening”.
Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics, was arrested in mid-January, following his return from Germany after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning which he blames on the Kremlin.
Later, in February, a Moscow Court ruled that while in Germany, Navalny violated the probation terms of his 2014 money-laundering conviction, and therefore ordered him to serve two years and eight months in prison. Thousands of people were subsequently detained at a series of massive protests in central Moscow, prompted by the verdict.
The Canadian Foreign Ministry noted that the North American nation stands with the people of Russia “in their quest to exercise their rights to freely express themselves and to gather peacefully without fearing reprisals”. It assured that Ottawa will continue to work with allies and partners to implement “effective and unified” measures over the rights violations in Russia.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin responded to Ottawa’s measures, describing Canada’s decision as an imposition of “illegal sanctions” on Russia.
