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Navaln’s allies plan to hold demonstrations in dozens of cities on Saturday in support of a Kremlin critic. Navaln was arrested on January 17 at the Sheremetyevo airport after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for five months after poisoning Novičiok, a nerve paralyzing substance created by the Soviets.
The opposition accuses President Vladimir Putin of ordering the Russian security services to poison him. The Kremlin categorically denies it.
“Attempts to hold unauthorized public events, as well as provocative actions by their participants, will be seen as a threat to public order and immediate repression,” Moscow police said in a statement on Friday.
Navalno’s comrades urged the Russians to take to the streets despite government pressure and promised financial aid to the protesters, who will be fined on Saturday.
“Putin is doing everything possible to intimidate him,” Ivan Zhdanov, director of the anti-corruption fund founded by A. Navaln, wrote on Facebook.
Several close associates of A. Navaln, including the famous activist Liubov Sobol and his representative Kira Jarmysh, were detained Thursday night asking Russians to participate in the demonstrations. Detainees face heavy fines and brief incarcerations.
Ms. Sobol, 33, is charged with repeatedly violating the law on public gatherings and faces a fine of up to 300,000. rubles (3.35 thousand euros), his lawyer Vladimir Voronin told the AFP news agency.
Sobol, who has a young son, is unlikely to receive a prison sentence on Friday, the lawyer said.
However, she noted that if she is found guilty, officials can then open a criminal investigation against her.
“It’s not about politics”
Jarmyš, 31, who spent the night in prison, is accused of violating the law on public gatherings, her lawyer Veronika Poliakova told AFP.
On Friday, Jarmyš wrote on Twitter that she had been detained for nine days.
“He was detained for nine days. Well, you know what to do. January 23 at 2 pm the central streets of your cities. Let’s go! “, Wrote.
V. Poliakova said Monday that she is planning to appeal the court decision against K. Jarmyš.
A chain of allies of A. Navaln was also arrested in the regions. Among them is the coordinator and volunteer of the A. Navaln headquarters in the city of Vladivostok in Kaliningrad, in the Far East. Both were in preventive detention for three days.
Prosecutors warned Russians not to participate in demonstrations during the pandemic, and media regulator Roskomnadzor has warned social media platforms, including TikTok, not to encourage minors to participate in demonstrations.
After 44 years of Navaln’s arrest, his team announced an investigation into Putin’s luxury property in the Black Sea. Since the video was released on Tuesday, it has been viewed by more than 53 million people. times and has become the most viewed YouTube video by Kremlin critics.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, again denied on Friday that the estate and huge house belonged to Putin. D. Peskov called A. Navaln’s investigation a lie.
“Putin has nothing to do with it,” the spokesman said, adding that the building, which according to the Federal Security Service (FSB) was guarded by an opposition report, could be owned by a businessman.
Following Navaln’s arrest and his latest report on corruption, many Russians on social media, as well as TikTok, adored by teens, and even the dating app Tinder, expressed support for the opposition figure and called for active demonstrations on Saturday.
Support for the jailed opponent was also voiced by a number of public figures, including those who generally evade politics.
22-year-old pop star Monetočka called for the release of A. Navalna on her Instagram.
“This is not about politics, it is about civil society and justice,” he said.
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