The Trump administration urged Russia on Monday to release what it called a growing number of political and religious prisoners, warning that President Vladimir Putin’s government was turning to “old Soviet practices” to deny rights to detainees.
The condemnation came as President Donald Trump considers holding a summit with Putin and faces continuing questions about whether his administration is insufficiently tough on Russia. In recent months, Trump’s administration has taken a number of steps to put pressure on Moscow, including sanctions, but Trump has also raised concerns with comments suggesting that Russia should be allowed back into the Group of 7 — formerly the Group of 8 — industrialized economies despite its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
The State Department said it was “deeply concerned” about the problem and added that the number of such prisoners now exceeds 150 people, according to what the U.S. said were credible human rights organizations. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. was calling on Russia to cease using its legal system to “suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice.”
“The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve equal treatment under the law and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution,” Nauert said.
The Russian embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A senior State Department official said the U.S. had seen a threefold increase in political prisoners in Russia since 2014, along with the use of Soviet practices such as stripping…
… Read More
—-
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News