BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday joined international calls for the immediate release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and urged Russia to end a police crackdown on opposition demonstrators.

"The verdict against Alexei Navalny is far removed from any rule of law. Navalny must be released immediately. The violence against peaceful demonstrators must stop," Merkel said in a message posted on Twitter by her spokesman Steffen Seibert.