NewsEU likely to impose sanctions following Navalny's death -Putin bears greatest responsibility

EU likely to impose sanctions following Navalny's death -Putin bears greatest responsibility

Commemoration of Navalny in Cologne, Germany
Commemoration of Navalny in Cologne, Germany
Images source: © Getty Images | NurPhoto

12:32 PM EST, February 19, 2024

- "The EU member states will certainly propose sanctions against those responsible for Navalny's death," the EU's diplomatic head told reporters.

- "Putin himself bears the greatest responsibility, but we can also apply restrictions to the Russian penitentiary system. Let's not lose sight of who is ultimately responsible for Navalny's demise," Borrell stressed.

Borrell also suggested naming the EU's human rights violation sanction system after Navalny.

The EU's foreign ministers will convene in Brussels to discuss various matters, including military support for Ukraine and the 13th package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Borrell announced over the weekend that Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, will participate in the meeting.

Passing of Alexei Navalny

Alexei Navalny was taken into custody and sentenced to jail after he returned to Russia from Germany over three years ago. The Russian authorities launched multiple criminal cases against him, resulting in a cumulative prison sentence of over 30 years.

Last Friday, the Russian prison services announced Navalny's sudden death in a penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, located in the Arctic. They reported that Navalny "felt unwell" and "lost consciousness." Despite attempts to resuscitate him following an ambulance call, Navalny passed away, the prison services affirmed.

Navalny's mother and attorneys were denied access to the morgue and were informed that the cause of his death was being ascertained.

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