White House ‘Strongly Condemns’ Arrest of Peaceful Protesters in Russia

The Trump administration condemned the hundreds of arrests in Russia on Monday in the wake of anti-government protests throughout the country.

“The United States strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters throughout Russia that happened on June 12,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Monday, as he read from a prepared statement.

The Trump administration official added that “detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values.”

A reporter had asked Spicer, “What is the President’s reaction to the Russian government’s crackdown on anti-corruption protests today?”

The White House spokesman later emphasized that that “the United States will monitor the situation. We’ll call on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters.”

Spicer also asserted that “the Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas; transparent and accountable governance; equal treatment under the law; and the ability to exercise their rights without fear or retribution.”

The New York Times noted in their Monday report on the protests that “police detained the architect of the national protests, the Kremlin critic Aleksei A. Navalny, as he emerged from his apartment building to attend a rally.”

The newspaper pointed out that “workers at [Navalny’s] headquarters reported that their electricity and internet connection, used to transmit updates from around the country, had been severed.”

You can watch Spicer’s statement above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

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