ATHENS

Belgium and Poland on Tuesday joined other European countries in summoning Russian envoys over the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny last week. 

Russian Ambassador to Brussels Alexander Tokovinin was summoned to the Belgium Foreign Ministry and was informed that Belgium wants an “independent investigation to determine the causes of Mr. Navalny’s death in a transparent and objective manner,” Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in a statement.

“This meeting was also an opportunity to reiterate Belgian concerns about political repression in Russia. Belgium also calls on Russia to release all those who peacefully expressed their sympathy and condolences following the death of Mr Navalny,” it added.

Similarly, The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Sergei Andreev.

In a statement, the ministry said it called on Russian authorities to “conduct a full and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances and the cause of his death.”

The Russian penitentiary service announced last Friday that the 47-year-old opposition figure died in a prison colony while serving a 19-year sentence for extremism.

Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after being treated for poisoning in a Berlin hospital. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed Russia for the poisoning, a claim the Kremlin denies.

In August 2021, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for extremism and other crimes. He was already serving an 11-year and five-month sentence for fraud.