(Berlin, February 20, 2025) – Dozens of arrests on the first anniversary of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s death are just the tip of the iceberg in the Kremlin’s continued crackdown on his supporters, Human Rights Watch said today.

On February 16, 2025, Russian law enforcement officers detained at least 42 people at gatherings commemorating Navalny on the first anniversary of his death in prison. Throughout the year, the authorities have used their extensive arsenal of repressive tools to try to suppress public outcry and erase Navalny’s political legacy.

“Russia’s notoriously vague and broad anti-extremism law is used to prosecute those who call for free and fair elections, expose corruption, advocate on behalf of political prisoners, or appear to identify as Navalny supporters,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Kremlin sees the exercise of basic human rights as a threat that must be stopped, something Navalny knew well, and for which he paid the price.”

Navalny died in a remote prison in Russia’s far north while serving a 19-year sentence on bogus politically motivated charges. The authorities threw him behind bars in 2021, as soon as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated after surviving a poisoning attempt apparently orchestrated by Russian security services. 

In September 2024, The Insider, a leading Russian investigative media outlet, alleged that his death resulted from another poisoning by government agents. Prison authorities had arbitrarily and repeatedly confined him to various punishment cells and failed to provide him with adequate medical care.

Last week, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation condemned the lack of “credible investigation into his death” and said that “Alexei Navalny’s fate exposes the systematic and widespread repression against peaceful dissenters.”

In the first two days following Navalny’s death, police arbitrarily detained at least 425 people who had been honoring his memory in various regions of the country; another 106 were detained on March 1, 2024, the day of his funeral. One year later, police in major Russian cities again cordoned off local memorials to the victims of political repression, questioned those who came to lay flowers, recorded their personal data, and even arrested some of them.

Full Post @ Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/20/russia-year-after-navalnys-death-supporters-targeted

The bureau of Liberal International is outraged that President Donald Trump has callously prioritised the illegitimate claims of Vladimir Putin’s Russia over the long-standing Euro-Atlantic commitment to Ukraine – secure, peaceful, and whole – ahead of speculated peace negotiations.

As the war in Ukraine is on the verge of entering a new, critical phase, we find it inconceivable that the Trump administration can presume a lasting peace by minimising Ukraine’s voice and attempt to relegate Europe to a peripheral actor in any negotiations to come. President Trump’s comments after his call with President Putin this week demonstrate total disrespect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In addition, the failure to recognize who the aggressor remains a significant error in the statement of President Trump that will have far-reaching consequences.

President Trump’s recent statements and actions beg serious questions about the United States as a dependable ally and many of LI member parties will be reviewing how to address this dramatic deterioration in relations.

We welcome the unity of European nations including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom who, together with Canada, are collectively the largest source of aid to Ukraine. We urge the Trump administration to engage constructively and openly with their European counterparts and to embolden not undermine the transatlantic alliance that has served both continents so effectively for almost eight decades.

On the eve of the Munich security conference, we are convinced the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia will not diminish based on a ‘peace’ settlement in Ukraine brokered primarily by President’s Trump and Putin. That for a region riddled with Russian influence, this act will reverberate farther and embolden the ambitions of autocrats around the world.

Source:The Liberal International @ https://liberal-international.org/news-articles/trump-putin-ukraine-future/

An American was arrested in Russia last week after airport security found cannabis gummies in his luggage.

The 28-year-old man, who arrived from Istanbul, was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on Feb. 7, according to Russian state media, after a sniffer dog discovered the contraband.

The man — who was not named in state media reports — explained he had been prescribed the gummies by a doctor in the United States. He was taken into custody and charged with drug smuggling, with a potential prison term of five to 10 years as well as a fine of 1 million roubles, which amounts to roughly $11,000.

The Kremlin has arrested numerous Americans on cannabis possession charges in recent years, including basketball star Brittney Griner in 2022.

Griner, who was arrested for possession of a vape containing marijuana oil and sentenced to nine years in prison, was freed in a high-profile prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Another American, schoolteacher Marc Fogel, was arrested for possessing medical marijuana in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years. He was freed earlier this week, this time in exchange for a Russian cybercriminal.

The U.S. said both Griner and Fogel were wrongfully detained.

Western officials have accused Moscow of taking foreigners hostage to use as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps. At least 10 Americans remain in prison in Russia.

Story by Seb Starcevic “@ Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/14/american-detained-in-russia-019107