18:36 20/08/2021
On the first anniversary of the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release him from prison.
Merkel made these comments after meeting Putin in Moscow.
"I asked the Russian president to release Navalny", Merkel said at a press conference after the meeting in the Kremlin.
This is Merkel's last official visit to Russia, as she will retire from politics next month.
Navalny, a critic of President Putin, fell seriously ill a year ago while flying to Siberia. The plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in Omsk, where he was taken to hospital. A few days later, he was taken to a clinic in Berlin for medical treatment.
Several laboratories have said Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.
Navalny has blamed Putin for the poisoning, but these allegations have been denied by the Kremlin. He was arrested after arriving in Russia from Germany earlier this year.
On the first anniversary of Navalny's poisoning, Britain has sanctioned several Russians, who were allegedly involved in "attempted murder"./REL
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