France says ‘concerned’ over Navalny verdict in Russia

France on Thursday raised concerns over the sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to five years in a penal colony on embezzlement charges.

“We are concerned by Mr. Alexei Navalny’s five-year prison sentence,” foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said. “We note that not all judicial remedies have been exhausted and that the sentence could be reviewed on appeal,” he added.