Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner calls for criminal investigation into Navalny’s poisoning
Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has spoken out in favor of opening a criminal case in connection with the poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
“I’m in favor of initiating a criminal case, because we are all interested in establishing the truth in this situation. It has received great public interest,” Moskalkova said, as quoted by Interfax.
Moskalkova expects that “Germany will provide us with the expert reports, maybe Navalny will give clarification on this issue himself.”
The Russian Prosecutor’s Office and Interior Ministry conducted preliminary inquiries in connection with Alexey Navalny’s poisoning and concluded that there was no basis for launching a criminal case. This was reported by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
In an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel, published on October 1, Navalny said that he holds Russian President Vladimir Putin personally responsible for his poisoning.
A number of European politicians have demanded that Russia conduct an open investigation into Navalny’s poisoning, including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell.
Read more about Navalny’s poisoning
- Russian State Duma speaker says Navalny should thank Putin for saving his life, not blame him for an attempted assassination, as the Kremlin claims Navalny is working with the CIA
- Alexey Navalny plans to sue Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for claiming that Navalny is working with the CIA
- Not worth it Russia asks the EU nine questions about Navalny’s poisoning, arguing that he’s too unpopular to warrant assassination and, hey, maybe his own colleagues are responsible
Navalny’s poisoning
On August 20, Alexey Navalny became violently ill aboard a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. Pilots made an emergency landing in Omsk, where he was hospitalized and immediately placed in a medically induced coma. Two days later, he was transferred to Berlin for treatment. German specialists later concluded that he had been exposed to a Novichok-class nerve agent. Russian officials maintain that they have no evidence that Navalny was poisoned. He regained consciousness on September 7 and was discharged from the hospital on September 22. His full rehabilitation is expected to take several more weeks.