The Merkel government is now certain about the case of the Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny: He was poisoned.
Merkel demands answers from Russia.
The Russian opposition politician
Alexei Navalny
has
been poisoned
with a chemical
nerve
agent.
As government
spokesman Steffen Seibert announced
, the substance was
unequivocally detected
by a
special laboratory at
the
Charité
University
Hospital
.
The
federal government
spoke of an attack which it
condemned
“in the strongest possible way”
.
Update from September 2, 2020, 7:10 p.m.: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
wants to
discuss possible consequences with Germany and all other allies
after the poisoning of the
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny, which was
proven by a Bundeswehr laboratory
.
"NATO sees any use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security," said Stoltenberg on Wednesday evening in Brussels.
Meanwhile, has
Russian Embassy in Berlin
, the German government against a "politicization" of the case
Navalny
warned.
"We call on our partners to avoid any politicization of this incident and to rely solely on credible facts, which we hope will be delivered as soon as possible," said a statement published on Wednesday evening.
In it, the embassy also calls on the federal government to provide a “timely response” to a request for legal assistance from last week, in which information was asked about the German investigation results.
"We expect full cooperation and information exchange, including the existing bilateral legal mechanisms."
Chancellor #Merkel: Alexej #Nawalny was the victim of a crime, he should be silenced.
The federal government condemns this very strongly.
We expect the Russian government to agree to this.
pic.twitter.com/Tu5LKI4Caf
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSsprecher) September 2, 2020
The Kremel agreed to cooperate on the Navalny case
Update from September 2, 2020, 7:10 p.m.:
The
Kremlin
has agreed to cooperate fully following the accusations of the German government.
"We are ready and interested in fully cooperating and exchanging information on this issue with Germany," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian news
agency RIA Novosti
.
After evidence of poisoning near
Navalny
, the
US government has also
"expressed deep concern".
White House spokesman for the National Security Council, John Ullyot, said on Twitter on Wednesday: "
Alexei Navalny's poisoning
is utterly reprehensible." He announced that the US would work with allies and the international community to bring those responsible in
Russia
to justice to draw - "wherever the evidence leads".
Russia has the right to express its views peacefully and without fear of retaliation.
Navalny Foundation: Only the Russian state can have poisoned Kremlin critics
Update from September 2, 2020, 6:21 p.m.:
The
director of the anti-corruption foundation FBK
from
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny
has blamed the Russian state for poisoning the opposition with a chemical nerve agent.
“Only the state can use Novichok,” wrote Iwan Schadnow on Twitter on Wednesday.
That would be "without a doubt" certain.
The federal government had previously stated that
a substance from the so-called Novitschok group had been detected
in
Navalny's
body.
According to Schadnow, the
Russian secret service FSB
and the military secret service GRU could carry out such an act.
In a radio interview, he said that the use of "chemical warfare agents" made it clear that the attack was organized by the state.
"Therefore we of course demand the initiation of criminal proceedings and a normal investigation of all the circumstances of the poisoning."
The Russian scientist Leonid Rink, who, according to the state media, is said to have worked on a government-supported program to develop Novitschok, rejected the possibility of a Novitschok deployment at
Navalny
.
If the substance had been used on the opposition, he would be dead and not in a coma, said Rink of the state news agency Ria Novosti.
Navalny was poisoned: Merkel condemns the action "in the strongest possible way" - consultations with the EU and NATO about further steps against Russia
Update on 2 September 2020 17:37:
Chancellor Angela Merkel
noted in a PK on the case
Navalny
expressed.
The special laboratory of the Bundeswehr had unequivocally determined that Navalny was poisoned.
“He should be silenced, I condemn it in the strongest possible terms on behalf of the Federal Government.” Merkel also spoke with
Federal President Steinmeier
about the new findings, and the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag and the Russian Ambassador were also informed.
"The
Russian government
now has to answer questions," explains the Chancellor.
"The world will wait for answers." Together with
NATO
and the
EU
, the next steps will now be discussed, because "The crime against Navalny is directed against the basic values that we stand for."
+
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) speaks to the media in the Chancellery during a statement on the latest developments in the case of the Russian government critic Navalny.
© Markus Schreiber / AP POOL / dpa
Navalny was poisoned!
Merkel spokesman announces the result of the investigation - "Unequivocal evidence"
First report from September 2, 2020:
Berlin - In the present in Germany in treating Russian government critic
Alexei Navalny
was, according to the
federal government
, "the unequivocal evidence" of a chemical
nerve substance
from the
Nowitschok group
provided.
Government
spokesman Steffen Seibert
said
on Wednesday in Berlin.
At the instigation of the
Berlin Charité
where Navalny is being treated, one had
special laboratory
of the
Bundeswehr
a toxicological examination carried out on the basis of samples Nawalnys.
Statement by the federal government in the #Nawalny case.
https://t.co/QzFIgdnLUs pic.twitter.com/ZBTLlJo4M4
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSsprecher) September 2, 2020
Kremlin critic Navalny poisoned: Merkel government demands an explanation from Putin
"It is a
shocking occurrence
that Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent in Russia," said Seibert.
“The federal government condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms.
The Russian government is urged to explain itself to the process. "
+
The Charité in Berlin, where Alexej Navalny is currently being treated - according to the latest information from the federal government after poisoning.
© Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The Foreign Office will
inform
the
Ambassador of Russia
about the results of the investigation and the German government will
inform
its partners in the
EU
and
NATO
about them.
“The federal government will also contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OVCW),” said Seibert.
+
Putin critic Alexei Navalny (archive picture) is in the hospital.
© Pavel Golovkin / AP / dpa
Navalny case: Putin government called doctors' opinion on Kremlin critics "hasty"
Navalny, who suddenly fell into a
coma
on a flight in his home country on August 20
and was initially
examined
in
Omsk
, is being treated at the Charité at the urging of his family.
After evaluating clinical findings, the German doctors assumed that Navalny had been poisoned.
The
Russian government
with President
Vladimir Putin
had described the assessment as
rash
.
(dpa / AFP / frs)
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Pavel Golovkin / AP / dpa