EU slaps sanctions on Russian justice officials blamed for jailing Alexei Navalny

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed sanctions on the Russian justice and prison officials responsible for jailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny. A total of 33 officials have been hit by the measures. The bloc has also frozen the assets in Europe of two of the prisons where Navalny was held before his death last month. Navalny, the most persistent foe of President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year sentence when he died. The cause of his Feb. 16 death has been described by officials only as due to natural causes. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday that “Alexei Navalny’s slow killing by the Kremlin regime is a stark reminder of its utter disregard for human life.”