(Montreal) Canada imposes new sanctions on six Russian officials in connection with the death of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny on February 16.
Published at 12:40 p.m.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced this in a press release on Sunday morning.
“Together with our partners, Canada will maintain pressure on the Russian government to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the death of Mr. Navalny. The actions taken today are consistent with Canadian principles and values. “This increased pressure on the Russian government sends a clear signal that human rights must be fully respected,” Minister Joly argued in the document.
Mr. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony. Russian authorities have still not revealed the cause of death of the 47-year-old man.
The six Russian officials “who participated in the violation of Mr. Navalny's human rights, his cruel punishment and ultimately his death” will be sanctioned under the special economic measures provisions, Global Affairs Canada said.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly
Among them are the director of Colony No. 3 in the town of Kharp, Vadim Kalinin, as well as the General Head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region, where Colony No. 3 is located, Igor Rakitin.
The other sanctioned individuals, Alexandr Varapaev, Marina Bobek, Ekaterina Frolova and Kirill Nikiforov, are high-ranking officials and high-ranking personnel of Russia's law enforcement and judicial and correctional authorities, the same document obtained by Global Affairs said.
After Mr. Navalny's death, Canada summoned Russia's ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, to request an investigation into the Russian opponent's death.
Mr Navalny's funeral took place on Friday. He had been detained since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow facing certain arrest after recovering in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Canada also added 10 Russian officials and businessmen and 153 companies to its sanctions list on February 23 to mark the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
With information from Associated Press