Moscow expels three European diplomats for alleged involvement in pro-Navalny protests
The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry has expelled three European diplomats for allegedly participating in the January 23rd protests in support of imprisoned opposition politician Alexey Navalny.
All three diplomats — an employee of the Swedish Consulate General in St. Petersburg, an employee of the Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg, and an employee of the Germany Embassy in Moscow — have been declared persona non grata. The Russian Foreign Ministry has ordered them to leave the country “in the near future.”
Ambassadors from the three aforementioned countries were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, February 5, where they were informed that the actions of their personnel were “unacceptable and didn’t correspond to their diplomatic status.”
The Russian side expects that in the future, the diplomatic missions of the Kingdom of Sweden, Republic of Poland, and Federal Republic of Germany and their personnel will strictly follow the norms of international law.
On February 2, several Western diplomats attended Alexey Navalny’s hearing in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry said their actions constituted interference in the country’s domestic affairs. However, the British Embassy in Russia described this as “common practice.”
“Freedom for Navalny!” protests
On January 23 and 31, as well as on February 2, “Freedom for Navalny!” protests took place in more than 100 cities across Russia. Demonstrators took to the streets to oppose the jailing of opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who was remanded in custody immediately upon returning to Russia from Germany on January 17. On February 2, a Moscow court sentenced Navalny to two years and eight months in prison for violating the terms of his parole in Yves Rocher case. More than 10,000 people were detained throughout the country at the rallies in support of Navalny.