US concerned about human rights situation in Russia: Blinken

The United States is concerned about the human rights situation in Russia and is worried about the safety and security of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ve already expressed our deep concern for the treatment of Mr Navalny specifically and more generally with the human rights situation in Russia, and it remains striking to me how concerned and maybe even scared the Russian government seems to be of one man, Mr Navalny,” Blinken said at his maiden news conference.

Across the board, he said the US is reviewing all of these actions that are of deep concern to the US, whether it is the treatment of Navalny or the apparent use of a chemical weapon in an attempt to assassinate him. “We’re looking very urgently at Solar Winds and its various implications. We’re looking at the reports of bounties placed by Russia on American forces in Afghanistan. Of course, we’re looking at these questions of election interference,” he said.

“But as I say, we have a deep concern for Mr Navalny’s safety and security. And the larger point is that his voice is the voice of many, many, many Russians, and it should be heard, not muzzled,” Blinken said.