The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service has recommended that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny be sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, a Moscow court heard on Tuesday (Feb. 2).
Navalny and his brother were previously sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in 2014 for allegedly embezzling public funds, with Navalny’s sentence suspended. The Russian Prison Service claimed that Navalny violated the terms of his parole by failing to report to the Russian authorities while undergoing treatment in Germany, and therefore requested that the suspended sentence be turned into actual imprisonment.
Navalny’s lawyers counter that the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the 2014 case violated Navalny’s rights and must be overturned, and that Russian courts have failed to enforce that decision.
Navalny, who was poisoned while traveling in Siberia last August and then traveled to Germany for treatment, was arrested in January after returning to Russia. Navalny insisted that the assassination attempt was carried out on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, which Putin denied.
During the court hearing, Navalny again criticized President Putin and said he would go down in history as a “poisoner.
Navalny explained why he failed to report to the prison service last year. I went into a coma, then into intensive care, then into rehabilitation,” Navalny said, according to CNN. I contacted my attorney to send you a notice. You have my address and contact information. What else could I have done to notify you?”
Navalny mentioned his wife, Yulia, in court and said he was proud of her. Yulia had been arrested by police for participating in a protest demanding Navalny’s release.
Navalny also thanked the protesters for their courage and urged other Russians not to be afraid. He said the government cannot put millions of people in prison.
Outside the courtroom, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in support of Navalny. The independent watchdog group OVD-Info says at least 237 people have been arrested.
Just last weekend, protesters risked arrest by the government by staging protests in various Russian cities to demand Navalny’s release. The independent watchdog group reported that more than 5,000 people had been arrested as of Sunday evening.
NPR reports that Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Navalny’s case is an entirely domestic matter. In addition, Putin did not focus on Navalny’s trial, but instead met with educators.
U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken has previously expressed deep concern about Russia’s treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of Mr. Navalny,” he said. More importantly, he is expressing the voices of many, many Russians and should be listened to, not silenced.”
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