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Russia is increasing pressure on Kremlin critic Navalny. The judiciary initiated a process against him. The indictment: Navalny is said to have used donations for personal purposes.
The judiciary in Russia has opened a case of “large-scale fraud” against the opposition and Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny. According to the Russian authorities, Navalny is accused of having donated 356 million rubles (about 3.9 million euros) to his non-profit organizations for personal purposes.
Navalny used the money, among other things, for vacations abroad, according to the statement. Therefore, the organizations are mainly associations for the fight against corruption and for the protection of human rights.
Investigations also against Navalny confidants
Just a few days ago, the Russian authorities started criminal proceedings against Navalny’s confidant, Lyubov Sobol. The police officers ransacked his home and then arrested Sobol for 48 hours. Navalny had been very critical of the procedure.
A spokeswoman for the investigation committee confirmed that criminal proceedings had been initiated against the opposition party for trespassing.
Russian judiciary gives Navalny an ultimatum
Meanwhile, in Russia there is mounting pressure on Navalny to return home quickly. “All citizens of the Russian Federation can return to their country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. There should be no restrictions.
The Russian prison authorities had previously given the opposition party an ultimatum to fulfill the conditions of a previous suspended sentence and to inform the Russian authorities. Otherwise, there is a risk of imprisonment. According to Nawalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Jarmysch, the opposition should have appeared in person in Moscow that morning. “And once again: the whole world knows that Navalny is rehabilitating in Germany,” Jarmysch wrote on Twitter. Therefore, it is not possible to fly back to Moscow. The case concerns a 2014 conviction.
Navalny still in Germany
Navalny was the victim of a poison attack in Siberia in August, which he barely survived. Since then he has been in Germany. According to laboratories in Germany, France and Sweden, whose results have been confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Navalny was poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. After treatment at the Berlin Charité, Navalny recovered from the effects of the poisoning.
The Kremlin denies any involvement in the attack. The incident is putting considerable strain on relations between Germany and Russia. In October, the EU agreed to specific sanctions against Russia. Among other things, high-ranking employees of the Russian security apparatus were barred from entering the country.
