Italy calls for immediate release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny

MILAN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Italy's foreign minister on Sunday called for the immediate release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, after he was arrested on his return to Moscow.

"The arrest of Navalny on his arrival in Russia is a very serious matter, which concerns us. We ask for his immediate release. And we expect his rights to be respected", Luigi Di Maio wrote in a tweet.

Italian Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri on Twitter also asked for Navalny's immediate release. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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