OTTAWA: Canada has placed six Russian officials under sanctions on Sunday after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny last month in an Arctic prison colony.
Canada’s foreign affairs department in a statement said the sanctions target senior officials and high-ranking Russia’s prosecution employees, judicial and correctional services.
It said the six people placed under sanctions were involved in the violation of Navalny’s rights, his painful sentence and ultimately his death.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly in a statement also said that alongside Canada’s partners, the country will maintain pressure on the Russian government to hold a full and transparent inquiry into the death of Navalny.
She added that this enhanced pressure on the Russian government sends an open signal that human rights must be respected unequivocally.
After the death of Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, the Canadian government summoned Russia’s ambassador to seek a full and transparent probe into his death.
Navalny, 47, died on February 16 in unclear circumstances in the Arctic jail, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence for extremism.
His family and allies have blamed the Kremlin of ordering his killed and Western leaders have said Putin is responsible the death of Putin.
