Amnesty changes its mind about Navalny

First, Amnesty International appointed Alexei Navalny as a prisoner of conscience. Then Surprisingly, the decision was reversed At the end of February. Then Amnesty came under heavy criticism for being influenced by the Russian state’s propaganda.

So far, Amnesty International announces that it has made a mistake. at Press release The organization says the Russian government used Amnesty International’s previous decision to further violate Navalny’s rights. Therefore, it is now regaining its previous position.

This does not mean that we agree with everything Navalny says. Some of his previous statements are reprehensible. However, by confirming his status as a prisoner of conscience, we are bringing his case. Amnesty said in the statement that he has the right to see an independent doctor and who has been imprisoned without committing any crime.

Pardons Finland’s director of operations, Frank Johansson, stated that Amnesty simply made the wrong decision in February.

We looked a lot at our principles and chose to interpret them precisely, instead of focusing on Navalny’s well-being. We apologize for that, Frank Johansson tells DN.

He does not agree that Amnesty pressed the Kremlin or acquiesced in the pressure. According to Johansson, criticism of Navalny’s nationalist views was particularly strong within Amnesty as an organization.

We have certainly underestimated the enormous symbolic meaning that the concept of a prisoner of conscience carries, especially in Russia. For us, it is primarily an honorary title, but in Russia it is perceived as a prestigious position.

According to Johansson, the AI’s biggest mistake was not taking context into account.

When the decision was made to deny Navalny this title, it was not understood how the Russian government would use all of this, which is certainly naive. Navalny’s well-being is more important than our choice to accurately interpret our rules.

Navalny Chief of Staff Leonid Volkov thanks everyone who participated in the campaign to restore Navalny’s previous status.

https://twitter.com/leonidvolkov/status/1390692812161699840

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in the campaign to protect the reputation and reputation of Alexei Navalny, to all of you who have turned to Amnesty formally and informally, individually or collectively. Volkov wrote on Twitter, he is important, he is successful.