United Nations human rights experts said on Monday that Russian government officials were very likely involved in the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny last year, adding that it was intended to send a "sinister warning" to quash dissent.
"Given the inadequate response of the domestic authorities, the use of prohibited chemical weapons, and the apparent pattern of attempted targeted killings, we believe that an international investigation should be carried out as a matter of urgency in order to establish the facts and clarify all the circumstances concerning Mr. Navalny's poisoning," U.N. experts Agnes Callamard and Irene Khan said in a joint statement.