A Russian court convicted imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on charges of extremism and sentenced him to 19 years in prison on Friday. Navalny is already serving a nine-year term on a variety of charges that he says were politically motivated.
The new charges are related to the activities of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation and statements by his top associates. It was his fifth criminal conviction and his third and longest prison term - all of which his supporters see as a deliberate Kremlin strategy to silence its most ardent opponent.
Navalny appeared in the courtroom wearing prison garb and looking gaunt, but with a defiant smile on his face. As the judge read out the verdict, the politician stood alongside his lawyers and his co-defendant with his arms crossed, listening with a serious expression on his face. Yarmysh confirmed the verdict to the AP, adding that Navalny was also ordered to pay a fine of 500,000 rubles . She said that Navalny feels optimistic despite the harsh sentence, and “absolutely believes in what he's doing,” adding that “it certainly helps him cope with all that and keep doing what he's doing.”
Navalny's allies said the extremism charges retroactively criminalized all of the anti-corruption foundation's activities since its creation in 2011. In 2021, Russian authorities outlawed the foundation and the vast network of Navalny's offices in Russian regions as extremist organizations, exposing anyone involved to possible prosecution.
On the eve of the verdict hearing, Navalny released a statement on social media, presumably through his team, in which he said he expected his latest sentence to be “huge … a Stalinist term.” Under the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, millions of people were branded “enemies of the state,” jailed and sometimes executed in what became known as the “Great Terror.”
Yarmysh said that prison officials once again placed Navalny in the punishment cell right after his closing arguments in late July, and that he was released from it only on Friday for the verdict hearing.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny given 19 more years behind bars for extremism conviction | CBC NewsA Russian court convicted imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is already serving a nine-year sentence, of extremism charges on Friday and sentenced him to another 19 years in prison.
Lire la suite »
Kremlin critic Navalny convicted of extremism and sentenced to 19 years in prisonA Russian court convicted imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on charges of extremism.
Lire la suite »
Kremlin critic Navalny convicted of extremism and sentenced to 19 years in prisonMELEKHOVO, Russia (AP) — A Russian court convicted imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on charges of extremism and sentenced him to 19 years in prison Friday. Navalny is already serving a nine-year term on a variety of charges that he says were politically motivated.
Lire la suite »
Russia Sentences Putin Foe Navalny to 19 More Years in JailA Russian court sentenced opposition leader Alexey Navalny to another 19 years in prison after convicting him of “extremism,” a decision he had earlier described as “Stalinist.”
Lire la suite »
Navalny Says He Faces ‘Stalinist’ Sentence at Closed TrialRussian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said he’s expecting a “Stalinist” sentence when a court is due to give its verdict Friday in an “extremism” trial held inside a strict-regime prison.
Lire la suite »
Evening Update: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announce separationAlso: Russian drone strikes hit another Ukrainian port; Pittsburgh synagogue gunman sentenced to death
Lire la suite »