Jul 20, 2023 at 4:22 PM Update: an hour ago
Prosecutors in Russia are demanding 20 years in prison against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The new trial, which started June 6, revolves around several charges. But there is no question of a fair trial.
The verdict in the case will follow on August 4, the Russian state news agency reports TASS Thursday.
The Russian dissident has been detained as a political prisoner for more than two years. He has already been sentenced to more than eleven years in prison, formally for fraud. The new case revolves around a variety of charges. He has been charged with extremism, among other things. The charges relate to six different articles of Russia’s penal code, court records show.
Navalny previously denied. He said through his spokesperson that he has been charged for his political work. Honest opposition in Russia is not possible. His conviction was actually already established before the new trial.
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Navalny will never be released again, according to an expert
The Kremlin critic was poisoned with the nerve agent novichok during a visit to Siberia in the summer of 2020. Navalny accuses the Russian secret service of this. He received medical treatment in Germany after his poisoning, but insisted on returning to his home country afterwards. He was immediately arrested upon arrival.
Experts told NU.nl last month that they do not expect Navalny to ever take another step outside the prison camp. “The Kremlin is doing everything it can to neutralize Navalny. Before the war in Ukraine, he was Vladimir Putin’s main enemy. The justice system is in the hands of the Kremlin, so there is no longer an independent judiciary,” said Russia expert Helga Salemon.
2023-07-20 14:22:30
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