Russian opposition leader Navalny sentenced to 3.5 years in prison | NOW

Opposition leader and prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail by a Moscow court on Tuesday. The case against him revolves around a violation of the reporting obligation imposed on him after a conviction in a fraud case.

Navalny was convicted six years ago in the controversial fraud case and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.

According to several media present, the sentence has now been converted into an unconditional sentence, which means that he must still serve it.

A duty to report was part of the conditions and, according to Russia, Navalny violated it when he recovered from his poisoning in Germany. The opposition leader and the investigation platform Bellingcat recently reported that the Russian secret service is behind this attempt on his life.

The defense demanded the release of the opposition leader. The charges are intended, according to lawyers and Navalny, to “intimidate millions of people in the country.”

Countless supporters arrested in protests

In recent weeks, there has been plenty of demonstration at the court. Thousands of people who believe the opposition leader should be released have been arrested.

311 people were arrested around the courthouse on Tuesday. Many people came to court to protest Navalny’s arrest. They demand that he be released.

Navalny is often described as the only politician in Russia whose popularity makes him a threat to the equally popular President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power in Russia for more than 20 years.

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