Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, which is in effect, for violating his release. According to the Reuters news agency that his supporters called immediately after this decision for new protests.
Moscow court ruled. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, which is in effect. The opposition leader has been under house arrest for a year. The judge investigated whether Navalny violated the terms of his release on bail. He would have failed in his “duty to inform” the appropriate authorities. Rehabilitation in Germany, after being poisoned with the nerve gas novichok, prevented him from doing so. So Navalny was arrested upon his return to Russia. He was also fined 500,000 rubles (about 5,500 euros).
Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for fraud six years ago, but he was not required to serve under conditions. The judge can now decide to convert this suspended sentence into a 3.5-year prison sentence. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2017 that the conviction was politically motivated.
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On The protests continued at the end of last week, Navalni supporters wanted to protest at the Moscow court. There are major security measures in place in the region. Several journalists on the ground talk about arrests. The Bilga News Agency reported that an estimated 120 people had been arrested. This weekend, police arrested 5,000 protesters in 86 cities.
A thorn in Putin’s side
Putin’s competitor was poisoned with the nerve gas Novichok in August of last year. Navalny survived the assassination attempt and recovered for several months in Germany. There was a confession scam from an FSB agent.
The Kremlin may have hoped to ban Navalny from Russia permanently, because at the end of December he had already been placed on the investigation list for “violation of the duty to report.” On January 13, Navalny surprised his friend and promised him by announcing his return to Russia. A few days later, he was arrested upon arrival. Right before his arrest, Navalny invoked another trick from his hat: A documentary film explaining how Putin made a fortune from corruption and built a mansion on the Black Sea. It was viewed 100 million times in one week.
