Germany summons Russian envoy over Navalny’s death

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Russia's ambassador to Germany over the death of Alexey Navalny, the country's most prominent dissident leader, according to a spokesperson.

"A corresponding meeting will take place today in Berlin with the Russian ambassador," Kathrin Deschauer told journalists in Berlin.

She added that “the politically motivated proceedings” against Navalny and other opposition figures and “the inhumane prison conditions” showed “how brutally the Russian justice system acts against dissidents.”

On Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called Navalny “a symbol of a free and democratic Russia.” ​​​​​​​

The Russian penitentiary service announced on Friday that the 47-year-old opposition figure died in a prison colony while serving his sentence.

It added in a statement that Navalny lost consciousness after a walk in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, where the colony is located.

Russian authorities conducted several inspections to determine the facts surrounding Navalny's death.

Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after being treated for poisoning in a Berlin hospital. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed Russia for the poisoning, a claim the Kremlin denies.

Later in Aug. 2021, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for extremism and other crimes. He was already serving an 11-year and five-month jail sentence for fraud.