RFE
02 Dec 2020, 04:15 GMT+10
Russia's Investigative Committee has rejected reports saying a probe has been launched into opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
The committee said on December 1 that media reports about the alleged probe were false and called on news outlets not to distribute unconfirmed reports based on anonymous sources.
The comments came after the official TASS news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying that Moscow investigators alleged Navalny called for the forcible change of Russia's constitutional order during the April 27 interview with Ekho Moskvy.
'Due to the statements (in the interview), a probe was launched on November 30 to check if there were elements of calls to conduct extremist activities,' the source was quoted by TASS as saying.
The Russian Criminal Code lays out a punishment of up to five year in prison for such a crime.
Talking to Ekho Moskvy on April 27, Navalny criticized the Kremlin for rejecting his team's proposal to provide Russian families and small businesses with financial support during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and said that the authorities in Russia 'must be overthrown right now...most likely by force' for neglecting the needs of citizens.
The program's anchor then directly pointed to the statements as being merely Navalny's thoughts, not open calls to overthrow the government, which Navalny confirmed in the aired interview.
Navalny is currently in Germany, where he is recovering after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Siberia in late August.
Navalny has insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack on him. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
On December 1, Navalny wrote on Instagram that the probe was launched on Putin's order to prevent his return to Russia after a full recovery.
In October, the European Union and Britain imposed asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials and one entity for the 'attempted assassination' of the outspoken, 44-year-old Kremlin critic.
Last week, Navalny called on the EU to develop a new strategy for its relations with Moscow and impose more sanctions on the Kremlin.
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Paris Guardian news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Paris Guardian.
More InformationWhile Joe Biden's Presidency gives people a chance to rebuild, it also faces the bitterness and opposition of Trump's ever-loyal ...
LONDON, UK - World leaders have congratulated Joe Biden following his inauguration Wednesday as the 46th U.S. president. Many allies ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York - A New York City man who who stoked tensions before and after the storming ...
The end of Donald Trump's dysfunctional tenure in the White House means the start of a relatively normal presidency under ...
U.S. President Donald Trump left the White House for the final time on Wednesday, heading by helicopter to a nearby ...
Last week Israeli human rights group B'Tselem released a position paper describing for the first time in its 30-year history, ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were sold off on Friday. All the major indices lost ground, while the ...
LIMERICK, Ireland - A boost for Ireland's expanding tech sector are plans by a giant telco supplier to recruit scores ...
NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street took a breather on Thursday, a day after the major indices hit record ...
The EU has a large fleet that fishes outside European waters. Nearly a third of its catch comes from non-EU ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Shares in Asia followed their U.S. counterparts on Thursday, rising into the stratosphere.the Hong Kong key ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rallied to new record highs on Wednesday as the 46th president of the ...