Russian President Vladimir Putin took a dig at the United States when pressed on his human rights record and asked whether he fears opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying Trump supporters storming the Capitol shows abuses also occur in the U.S.
“As for who is killing whom and throwing whom in jail,” Putin said Wednesday through translators after being grilled by a reporter on his crackdown on pro-democracy activists in his country, before citing the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill.
Putin declined to use Navalny’s name during his press conference after meeting with President Joe Biden in Geneva, repeatedly referring to the dissident as “this man.”
Prior to the highly anticipated summit, Biden promised to bring up Navalny’s imprisonment with Putin after his hunger strike raised concerns about his health.
“He knew full well he was wanted, and he came back to Russia. He deliberately wanted to be arrested,” Putin said of Navalny.
Putin defended himself against allegations of human rights abuse within his borders by comparing Russia to U.S. actions in Guantanamo Bay and the number of gun deaths reported stateside, as well as CIA detention centers around the world, where he contended prisoners are mistreated.
“People are getting killed” on the streets of America, Putin said. “You can get a bullet in the back of a neck.”
“Who is the killer now?” he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Putin earlier described his talks with Biden as “constructive,” adding that there was “no hostility” during their two meetings. Despite the positive spin, their discussions lasted two hours less than the expected four to five hours.
