Today marks two years since the politically motivated sentencing of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny by a domestic court in Russia.
The sentencing follows his arbitrary arrest and imprisonment upon returning to Russia from life-saving medical treatment in Berlin after an assassination attempt in August 2020 in Russia with a military chemical nerve agent banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a State Party.
The European Union has condemned the poisoning of Mr Navalny in the strongest possible terms and in response imposed sanctions on those involved in the assassination attempt, the arbitrary arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Mr Navalny.
Reports of repeated ill treatment harassment and physical and psychological torture by Russian prison authorities of Mr Navalny are deeply disturbing. Russian authorities are responsible for his safety and health, to which we hold them to account.