MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/: The situation around the case of blogger Alexey Navalny and observance of his rights within the framework of legal proceedings does not require special attention of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated to journalists on Tuesday.
"This is not the situation that requires the president’s special attention," the Kremlin representative said. He added that "rights of all Russian citizens are guaranteed by laws and Russia’s overseeing agencies; this will happen in this case as well."
The spokesman stressed once again that Moscow does not intend to take into account opinions on the situation around Navalny voiced from abroad as his detention is a domestic affair of Russia.
Peskov highlighted that in Navalny’s case, this is a matter of a Russian citizen breaking Russian laws. "We hear these statements, but in this case, we cannot and will not take these statements into consideration," he said. "This is absolutely a domestic affair and Moscow will not let anyone meddle in it. We do not plan to take note of such statements," Peskov said.
At the same time Moscow is interested in good relations with other countries, Peskov stated, commenting on the West’s criticism of Moscow over the Navalny situation. "We are still interested in good relations that in no way depend on one separate citizen," he pointed out.
When asked to comment on the claims made by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service that Navalny had violated the terms of his probation, Peskov noted that there is no contradiction in the fact that Navalny was undergoing treatment in Germany at the time. "While he was a Berlin patient in the full sense of the word, the Federal Penitentiary Service did not have any questions, showing absolute flexibility and understanding. But after the Charite hospital confirmed that he is no longer such a patient and that he is in good health, such questions began to arise," he explained. Meanwhile, Navalny’s lawyers claim that he was still undergoing rehabilitation at the clinic until January. Peskov noted that they can use the documents proving this fact in court.
When asked why the court ruled to arrest Navalny in a special session at the police department, Peskov recommended the reporters to address this question to the court. "We all know that in the past few months, the courts have been working under a special procedure related to COVID-19, and it would be better to ask the court directly what these procedures come down to and in what way they are implemented in practice," the spokesman noted.
