French President Emmanuel Macron calls for immediate release of Alexei Navalny

French President Emmanuel Macron called for the immediate release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and said that respect for human rights and democratic freedoms are not negotiable.

"The condemnation of Alexei Navalny is unacceptable. A political disagreement is never a crime. We call for his immediate release," Macron said in a statement on Twitter.

A Russian court on Tuesday jailed Navalny in a ruling which the opposition politician blamed on what he called President Vladimir Putin's hatred and fear of him.