DISINFO: Russia was forced to expel EU diplomats who participated in illegal protests
SUMMARY
Russia was forced to expel three diplomats from Poland, Sweden, and Germany due to their participation in illegal pro-opposition protests on 23 January.
RESPONSE
The claim advances a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the ongoing protests in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
None of the three diplomats actually participated in the demonstrations. The foreign ministries of Poland, Sweden, and Germany have all confirmed that their presence at the protests was linked solely to the fulfillment of their diplomatic duties of monitoring protests. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, these duties include "[a]scertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in the receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State" (Article 3(d)).
The protests currently taking place in Russia are not technically "illegal," given that the universal right of peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the Russian Constitution (Art. 31). More truly, the rallies are "unsanctioned," a term which the Kremlin usually invokes as a pretext to deny Russian citizens their constitutional rights, and which is incompatible with both domestic legislation and international norms. See here for further debunking.