US and Several European Countries Call for Navalny's Release; Russian Foreign Ministry Responds

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has urged Russian authorities to release blogger and opposition figure Alexey Navalny, who was sentenced today to 3.5 years in prison.

“The verdict against Alexey Navalny is a serious blow to the principle of the rule of law and the protection of rights in Russia,” the German minister said in a tweet, according to РИА Новости.

A number of other European representatives, including UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and French President Emmanuel Macron, have made a similar call.

The US State Department has also issued a statement saying, “The US is deeply concerned by the decision to impose a real prison sentence on Alexey Navalny and calls on Russian authorities to release him,” stated Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, commented on the calls from Western countries, stating that they should not interfere in the affairs of a sovereign state.

It is noteworthy that just earlier, the Simonovsky Court in Moscow decided to replace Navalny's 3.5-year conditional sentence in the “Iv Roche” case with a real one.