Berlin, April 18, 2021 (AFP)
EU foreign ministers will discuss the case of Alexei Navalny when they hold talks Monday, Germany said, as fears grew for the hunger-striking Kremlin critic's deteriorating health while he is being held in a Russian penal colony.
"At tomorrow's Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, EU foreign ministers will also address Navalny's situation," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper on Sunday.
Earlier, his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian also said the bloc was watching Navalny's situation closely, as he warned of possible further sanctions against Russia.
"We have already taken action," the French minister said, referring to EU sanctions.
"The package of sanctions is already significant, but there may be others," warned Le Drian.
Maas also demanded that Russian authorities give Navalny swift access to proper medical care.
"We urgently demand that Alexei Navalny receive adequate medical treatment and access to doctors he trusts," Maas told Bild.
"His right to medical care must be granted without delay."
Navalny, Putin's most prominent opponent, was arrested in January on returning to Russia from Berlin after recovering from a near-fatal poisoning attack he says was orchestrated by the Kremlin.
Moscow denies the allegation.
He is serving two-and-a-half years on old embezzlement charges -- which he says are politically motivated -- in a penal colony in the town of Pokrov around 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow.
The 44-year-old began a hunger strike on March 31 to demand proper medical treatment for back pain and numbness in his legs and hands.
On Saturday, several doctors close to Navalny warned that his health had rapidly deteriorated and he could "die any minute," demanding prison officials grant them immediate access.

Sumber : AFP