(Ottawa) Canada imposes sanctions against 13 other Russians for their role in the poisoning, imprisonment and death of opponent Alexei Navalny.
Posted at 6:36 a.m.
The new sanctions are imposed while Mr. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, is in Ottawa for meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
Mme Navalnaya has pledged to continue her late husband’s work to oppose corruption.
During their meeting scheduled for the afternoon, Mme Joly will tell Mme Navalnaya that Canada holds the Kremlin “fully responsible” for her husband’s death.
PHOTO ANNEGRET HILSE, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Yulia Navalnaya
Alexei Navalny died on February 16 in a Russian penal colony where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence for what Canada considers to be trumped-up charges aimed at silencing him.
Canada sanctioned six Russians in the two weeks after Mr. Navalny’s death, including the head of the “Polar Wolf” penal colony where he died, a judge and a prosecutor.
The 13 names added Tuesday include senior Russian intelligence and law enforcement officials.
According to Minister Joly, the sanctions concern not only people involved in Mr. Navalny’s death, but also in the nerve agent poisoning that almost killed him in 2020, his illegal arrest upon his return to Russia in 2021, human rights violations during his imprisonment, the lack of investigation into the causes of his death and the delay in the release of his remains to his family.
His body was handed over to his mother on February 24 and he was buried on February 1er March in Moscow. Police arrested hundreds of people who tried to lay flowers in his memory.
Russia has denied any involvement in Mr Navalny’s death, saying he collapsed while walking and could not be revived.
During a visit to Ukraine about a week after Mr. Navalny’s death, Mr. Trudeau said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had Mr. Navalny executed.
In Mr. Trudeau’s view, Mr. Putin made this decision because he is too weak and too afraid to face a real political opponent.
