WE SUPPORT ALEXEY NAVALNY

We call for the immediate release of Alexey Navalny, who was sentenced to 15 days in jail for protesting the results of recent parliamentary elections in Russia, along with several dozen others.

Mr. Navalny is a rare individual who lives by the ideals he professes, standing up for what he believes in, no matter what the consequences. And what he believes in is a peaceful and just future for his country. Claims that opposition protesters such as Mr. Navalny are financed by the governments of foreign countries are merely attempts to taint their credibility as independent voices for reform. We believe that the reform Mr. Navalny and other protesters demand represents the best hope for a democratic Russia free of corruption and political violence. What Mr. Navalny stands for are basic principles: democracy, transparency, and the rule of law.

We represent a global network of friends, colleagues and supporters of Mr. Navalny, including more than 200 Yale World Fellows from 78 countries and six continents. We stand in solidarity with Mr. Navalny and the dozens of others serving prison sentences in the wake of last week’s protests. Mr. Navalny’s outspoken advocacy is not for himself but for his country. His arrest serves only to harm Russia’s reputation in the international community.

Each of us pledges to mobilize our personal and professional networks, both within our home countries and across the globe, to highlight the egregious treatment of Mr. Navalny and all those imprisoned for exercising a basic human right to non-violent protest. We call on the Russian authorities to release Alexey Navalny immediately, and to ensure that he and others who seek to reform their country through democratic means are allowed to freely exercise their rights and express ideas without further harassment.

Signed…