Blinken Condemns ‘Harsh’ Crackdown On Russian Protests, Renews Call For Putin Critic’s Release

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has condemned the “persistent use of harsh tactics” by Russian authorities on peaceful protesters who took to the streets across Russia on Sunday to call for the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

For the second weekend in a row, tens of thousands rallied across the country in an effort to raise awareness for Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was detained earlier this month by authorities.

More than 4,500 people were detained by Russian authorities for participating in the protests, according to a monitoring group.

“We renew our call for Russia to release those detained for exercising their human rights, including Aleksey Navalny,” Blinken wrote in a tweet.

Read more at NBC10.

{Matzav.com}