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Moscow: Russian dissident Alexei Navalny appeared in court on Tuesday accused of violating the terms of judicial supervision imposed on him, a case that could lead to his imprisonment for years despite Western pressure and the protest movement in Russia.
Navalny, who is currently in custody, was taken to the glass cage reserved for the defendants, before the court announced that the hearing would begin at 11:20 am (0820 GMT).
And abroad, the police arrested at least 20 people, while opposition supporters called a meeting that the authorities had prohibited in front of the court building.
The session comes after a weekend of protests in support of Nafalny across Russia, which resulted in the arrest of thousands of protesters.
Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and prominent opponent of the Kremlin, was jailed upon his return to Russia on January 17, following a months-long convalescence in Germany after an alleged poisoning that the opposition accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind.
His alleged poisoning and subsequent arrest triggered the largest wave of protests in Russia in recent years and new Russian-Western tensions. The president of the European Union, Josep Borrell, is scheduled to arrive in Moscow on Friday.
The current head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Lindh, told her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday in Moscow that Sweden and the European Union are concerned about the deterioration in the field of democracy and human rights. In Russia.
The protests in Russia also come a few months before legislative elections scheduled for fall, in light of the declining popularity of the ruling United Russia party.
Authorities say Navalny should be jailed for repeatedly violating terms of judicial oversight imposed on him as part of a suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence in 2014 in a kidnapping case, a ruling condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.
After Navalny spent part of his sentence under house arrest, he faces the possibility of being detained for two and a half years.
For supporters of the opposition, the Russian president seeks to permanently exclude his first critic.
“What is happening in court today is logical: Putin throws Navalny in prison because he survived the assassination,” Leonid Volkov, a Navalny aide, wrote on Twitter.
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Since his return, the Russian judiciary has stepped up proceedings against Alexei Navalny and his political allies, placing almost all of them under house arrest, jail or trial in recent weeks.
Some of them face prison for violating current “health standards” in the face of the emerging corona virus by organizing demonstrations, while others face charges for inciting minors to participate in prohibited gatherings.
But the opposition was able to rally its supporters at the end of two consecutive weeks in mass demonstrations, especially in Russian regions that were more marginalized than Moscow or St. Petersburg. And this time, more than a hundred cities participated in the protests.
But the police response was overwhelming: More than 5,400 arrests were recorded across the country on Sunday, a record in recent Russian history, according to the non-governmental organization Avid-Info.
In rare scenes, the Moscow city center was cordoned off by security forces, which prevented protesters from approaching Lubyanka Square, the headquarters of the Russian intelligence services and the first meeting point.
The protests erupted after the release of an investigative video by the opposition accusing President Vladimir Putin of owning a luxurious “palace” on the Black Sea coast, an investigation that was viewed more than 100 million times. in Youtube.
“This is the beginning of a long process,” political researcher Konstantin Kalachev told AFP. For those in power, it would be very dangerous if the demonstrations were repressed, ”and noted that 2021 is the year of elections in Russia, as legislative elections are scheduled for the autumn.
“This sentiment can turn into a protest vote. Fear is behind the actions of the authorities.
(AFP)
