Poland Summons Russian Ambassador Over Navalny Death

Poland's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador over the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Warsaw, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Feb, 2024) Poland's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador over the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The move comes a day after a host of European governments -- including France and Germany -- summoned diplomats from Russian embassies in relation to Navalny's death, which Moscow announced Friday.

Western countries have unanimously blamed the Russian authorities for the death of Navalny, the most prominent critic of the Kremlin who had been serving a 19-year prison sentence at a remote prison in the Arctic.

In a statement, Poland's foreign ministry said it "called on Russian authorities to take responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny and conduct a full and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances and cause of his death.

"

Poland's strained ties with Russia further deteriorated after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"The authorities of the Russian Federation demonstrate a complete rejection of moral norms not only in the context of dealing with domestic civil society, but also in the ongoing war against Ukraine," the Polish ministry said.

Also Tuesday, Slovenia said it had summoned a Russian envoy to the ministry in Ljubljana, urging Moscow to release all political prisoners.

On Monday, France, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands said they had summoned diplomats from Russian embassies.