Foreign Ministry summons Russian Ambassador to a meeting on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
23 February 2024 News
The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova was summoned to a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Valentin Solodkin, the Embassy's Chargé d'Affaires, appeared at the meeting. A demarche was made in front of him, expressing the Bulgarian side's indignation at the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on16 February 2024 in the penal colony in Siberia, where he was unjustly sent.
The Bulgarian side called on the authorities in Moscow to immediately conduct as transparent, thorough and objective an investigation as possible, including with the involvement of an independent international commission, and to clarify all the circumstances related to the death of A. Navalny. It was hoped that the guilty parties would be brought to justice as soon as possible. An appeal was made for the remains of A. Navalny to be immediately handed over to the family, who will be free to arrange a funeral ceremony.
The Bulgarian side urged the immediate and unconditional release of all other political prisoners, including Yuri Dmitriev, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Alexei Gorinov, Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Aleksandra Skochilenko and Ivan Safronov, as well as human rights defenders, journalists and anti-war activists arbitrarily detained for the peaceful exercise of their human rights and opposition to the Russian-led aggression against Ukraine. Concern was expressed about their detention conditions and the Russian authorities were reminded that the prohibition of torture is absolute under international law.
On the Bulgarian side, deep concern was expressed at the unrelenting systematic repression of Russian civil society, democratic forces, political opposition and critical voices in the Russian Federation and beyond, and Bulgaria's unwavering solidarity with them was stated.