Canada summons Russian ambassador in protest of Alexei Navalny’s death
Canada has summoned the Kremlin’s ambassador in Ottawa for a lambasting over the reported death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny while in Russian custody, Global Affairs Canada says.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly requested that Ambassador Oleg Stepanov be summoned on Wednesday to hear Canada’s rebuke.
Russia’s prison agency said Friday that Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence in an Arctic penal colony, felt unwell and lost consciousness after going for a walk and could not be revived.
President Vladimir Putin was quickly blamed for the death of his political opponent and leaders including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to hold Russia to account.
A senior Canadian official conveyed the country’s “strong condemnation” to Stepanov, Joly’s office said in a written statement late Wednesday afternoon.
The official also called on the Russian government to conduct a full and transparent inquiry into the death and release Navalny’s body to his family without delay.
“He also expressed concern for other political prisoners in Russia and emphasized the need for Russia to protect rather than punish/arrest the Russian citizens who are mourning the loss of Navalny,” Joly’s office said.
“Alexei Navalny was a symbol of hope for the Russian people and his legacy will live on for generations to come. Canada has already sanctioned those involved in the human rights abuses against Navalny, and we will join our partners in holding those responsible for his death to account as well.”
Following fiercely critical comments from
Trudeau, Joly and others Friday, Russia’s embassy posted a social media message urging Canada to stop “interfering into our internal affairs.”
“Every death is a tragedy. But the death of a Russian citizen is strictly Russia’s matter,” the embassy said.
Russian authorities have said that the cause of Navalny’s death is still unknown and refused to release his body for the next two weeks as the preliminary inquest continues, members of Navalny’s team say.
They accuse the government of stalling to try to hide evidence.
On Monday, Navalny’s widow, Yulia, released a video accusing Putin of killing her husband and alleged the refusal to release his body was part of a coverup.
“They are cowardly and meanly hiding his body, refusing to give it to his mother and lying miserably,” she said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected her allegations, telling reporters that “these are absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state.”