Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly, has announced new sanctions against the Russian government, which according to her are in response to the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Russia’s “continued gross and systematic violations of human rights.”
Joly announced the sanctions in a statement released recently, which said the measures would be imposed on no fewer than six Russian senior officials and high-ranking employees of its prosecution, judicial and correctional services. The statement says these officials were involved in the violation of Navalny’s “human rights, his cruel punishment and ultimately, his death.
During his visit to Ukraine late last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Putin executed Navalny, who died abruptly a week earlier in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence.
Russia has rejected allegations that Putin was involved in Navalny’s death and labelled them “absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state.”
Joly says Russia must carry out a full and transparent inquiry into Navalny’s death, whom she called “a voice of hope for the Russian people, as well as a voice for freedom, justice, democracy and a better future for Russia.”
Recall that Canada announced sanctions against 10 more Russian officials and businessmen and 153 entities, in collaboration with the United States and the United Kingdom on February 23.
