The senior diplomat on duty at the Russian Embassy was summoned to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs February 19 – his second short walk across the park from embassy to ministry in less than a week.
"The Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim of the Embassy of the Russian Federation was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to express to him the indignation and condemnation over the death of Alexei Navalny in prison. It was underlined to the representative of Russia that Russia’s political leadership and authorities are directly responsible for persecuting Alexei Navalny and bringing him to death in prison. What happened is a politically motivated retaliation against the most prominent leader of Russia’s opposition," said a statement by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"It was pointed out to Russia’s official representative that Russia must ensure an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death, while officials responsible for Navalny's death must be held accountable," the statement added, describing Navalny's treatment as "systemic persecution" aimed at "stamping out civic activism" in Russia.
The Ministry added that Latvia supports the imposition of additional international sanctions on Russia to deepen its international isolation.
