Eight EU countries call for sanctions against Russia's judicial system due to Navalny's death

Eight European Union countries made a call on Wednesday, 28 February for sanctions against Russian prosecutors, judges and prison officials due to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death earlier this month.

According to Reuters, the letter it has obtained, addressed to Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, was signed by the foreign ministers of Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden and Romania.

Officials stated that it was also supported by the Netherlands, France, Ireland and Denmark, amounting to support from a total of 12 countries.

"Mr Navalny's death is yet another sign of the accelerating and systematic repression in Russia. This calls for collective action," the foreign ministers' letter stated.

"We believe there is a strong case for a separate Russia-specific sanctions regime designed to address the situation in the country," the letter stated.

"The new regime would provide a solid legal basis to list individuals from Russia's repressive state apparatus, including those involved in politically motivated rulings against members of the civil society and the democratic opposition and their subsequent detention, such as those responsible within the judicial chain (prosecutors, courts penitentiary)," the letter noted.

Earlier, the European Union promised to impose sanctions against those involved in Navalny's death.

On 23 February, the US Department of State announced sanctions against three Russians who were involved in Navalny’s torture.