Moscow bans nine prominent Canadians from Russia in sanctions response

Russia will ban nine prominent Canadian citizens from entering its territory indefinitely, its foreign ministry said on Monday, in a response to Canadian sanctions imposed in March over human rights concerns.

Canada on March 24 set new sanctions on nine Russian officials over “gross and systematic violations of human rights in Russia.” Ottawa is particularly concerned about the treatment of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic.

Navalny was arrested this year and sent to serve a 2-1 / 2-year jail term for parole violations related to an embezzlement conviction he says was fraudulent. …