A Muscovite mockery of justice
Russia’s regime is weakened by putting Alexei Navalny in jail
President Vladimir Putin’s reputation is tarnished anew
J
UDGING BY THE security measures, you would have thought Moscow was experiencing a terrorist attack. Police in riot gear surrounded the capital’s main court and blocked the approaches. Muscovites suspected of being protesters were whisked away and bundled into police vans. By lunchtime 350 people, including journalists, had been detained, adding to nearly 2,000 arrested during protests two days earlier. Jails and detention centres filled up so fast that many demonstrators were held in police vans in freezing temperatures without food or water for up to 40 hours.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sentenced to prison
A Russian court has sentenced Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to 3 1/2 years in a penal colony for violating probation terms. Navalny has slammed the trial as a bid to intimidate the public.
Navalny was arrested on January 17 as he returned from Germany
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in a penal colony after a Moscow court found him guilty of disobeying the terms of his probation over the 2014 money laundering case.
In the Tuesday ruling, however, the court also took into account the time Navalny had spent under house arrest, meaning that the Kremlin critic would spend only two years and eight months behind bars.
World leaders condemn Navalny sentence, Russia denounces interference
Calls are growing from the international community for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to be freed. Germany says it can t rule out further sanctions against Russia.
Germany, the UK and US have all criticized Navalny s prison sentence
The list of voices from the international community demanding an immediate release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny continued to grow on Wednesday.
He will serve two years and eight months due to time already spent under house arrest. The outspoken Kremlin critic called the trial an attempt to intimidate the public.
UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Wednesday that her office was deeply dismayed that Navalny was sentence over a case that the European Court of Human Rights in 2017 had unanimously found to be arbitrary, unfair and manifestly unreasonable.