The European Union on Tuesday slammed as "politically motivated" a Russian court ruling extending Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's imprisonment by nine more years.
"The European Union strongly condemns the ruling... to extend the imprisonment of the Russian opposition politician," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
"The European Union deplores the systematic crackdown on civil society, independent media, individual journalists and human rights defenders in Russia," it said.
"We reiterate our call on the Russian authorities for his immediate and unconditional release."
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most vocal domestic critic, has been behind bars for more than a year.
His latest conviction comes after Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine last month.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
