Kremlin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, 45, was sentenced to nine years in prison. He is now fiercely attacking President Vladimir Putin (69).
He did so on Twitter, where the corruption researcher writes, among other things:
Putin is afraid of the truth.
Navalny thanks Navalny for the support he has received, but states that action against the Kremlin is also needed:
Any activity against the lies and thieves of the Putin regime. No opposition to these war criminals.
Outside the court, Navalny’s lawyers, Olga Mikhailova and Vadim Kobzev, were arrested, according to MediaZona and Reuters, among others. The reason for their arrest is not known.
A Russian court on Tuesday found Navalny guilty of “large-scale fraud”. Navalny was dressed in a prison camp uniform while the verdict was read.
Judge Margarita Kotova said, according to Medizona.
During the sentence, Navalny was sentenced to 9 years in a criminal colony with the so-called maximum security.
Navalny’s lawyer said they intend to appeal the ruling on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
His wife Julia writes on Instagram:
– We’ve been together for over 20 years… If we have to put up with the constant pressure, we’ll learn how to do it too. Nine years means nothing. I love you.
Navalny also revealed on Twitter that his anti-corruption organization, which was banned in Russia in 2021, is now a global company, and does not have to comply with Russian laws.
The charges against him related to embezzlement of 2.7 million rubles. The opposition leader denied being criminally guilty. Interfax news agency reported that he has now been found guilty of all charges. In addition to fraud, he has also been convicted of contempt of court in a previous trial.
“You will burn in hell for what you did,” he said, addressing the prosecutor and the judge, according to the ruling read out on Tuesday.
In recent years, Navalny has emerged as the clear leader of the opposition to Vladimir Putin. However, it is not entirely certain how much support he has/could have, in part because it is not actually mentioned in the Kremlin-controlled media.
The verdict was handed down on Tuesday in a criminal colony in the Vladimir province, not far from Moscow, where Navalny is already serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence after violating the duty to report a conditional sentence previously.
Violations of the duty to report resulted from the fact that he was in a coma in the summer and fall of 2020, and his allies described the ruling as politically motivated.
This trial was about other allegations of fraud related to the organizations he runs and contempt of court.
During the trial, the prosecution alleged that the opposition leader stole large sums of money from his organizations. Allegedly, these funds were received by the organizations as donations.
Medizona Reports say that journalists were not allowed into the courtroom where Navalny stayed with his lawyer. In the past, accredited journalists had access. Well-known journalist Yevgenia Alpats was in a long quarrel with the guards, but she was forced to give up the entry.
Journalists should be able to follow the ruling online, but according to Mediazona, this was nearly impossible because the judge read too quickly and because the transmission quality was so poor.
Poisoning
Navalny was poisoned in August 2020 on his way home from an election tour in Siberia. His organization accused the intelligence of being behind this, and Navalny said that it was ordered by the highest level, namely, Vladimir Putin. The president denied this.
The opposition leader had been treated for poisoning in Germany, and when he returned to Russia in January 2021, he immediately recovered Arrested at the airport in Moscow.
prison authorities He had previously warned that Navalny He was caught as soon as he set foot on Russian soil, but the corruption hunter still chose to withdraw.
Navalny is particularly known for exposing corruption in the Russian power apparatus. He and several of his closest companions and supporters are terrorized by the authorities. Since Navalny’s organization is now described as “extremist” and illegal, it has been closed down for the time being.
The Russian authorities have arrested the opposition politician several times while he is under house arrest.
Judge Margarita Kotova read the ruling saying that Navalny had illegally collected donations for an election campaign, despite the fact that (due to the conditional ruling at the time) he was known to be ineligible.
– The judge said that he did not act alone, but had accomplices, which made Navalny laugh and start talking to lawyer Olga Mikhailova, who, according to reports, stood by him Medizona.
“Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer.”