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Alexei Navalny was sentenced by a Russian court to two years and eight months in prison on Tuesday after a chaotic hearing in which the Russian opponent ridiculed the prosecution’s arguments and called the Kremlin leader “Putin the Poisoning.” “A thug hiding in a bunker”, reports CNN and BBC.
The Russian authorities have deployed police and special forces in various areas of Moscow.
UPDATE 1:40. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Moscow, and videos on social media show outrageous violence and brutality by law enforcement against protesters. In one of the videos, the police attack a car in traffic and force a man out of the vehicle and then shoot and kick him.
UPDATE 21:55. Despite attempts by the authorities to stop them, Russians take to the streets in large numbers in Moscow and shout “Russia without Putin!” and “Putin is a thief!”
UPDATE 21:40. Russia says Western countries’ demands for Navalny’s release are “out of touch,” according to The Moscow Times.
UPDATE 21:35. the The Moscow Times writes that three metro stations in central Moscow have been forcibly closed to stop the protests announced near the Kremlin. A large number of police officers were also deployed in various areas of the city. Law enforcement agencies have already detained several protesters and journalists who had gathered in front of the Kremlin were escorted out of the area.
The West demands the immediate release of Navalny
UPDATE 21:25. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, demanded the immediate release of Navalny: “I reiterate the call of the European Union for the immediate release of Alexei Navalny. We cannot accept this verdict, justice must not be politicized. Protesters have the right to demonstrate peacefully and have their political decisions heard, “Michel wrote on Twitter.
UPDATE 21:05. Western governments have reacted to the decision to convict Alexei Navalny. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for the immediate release of the Russian opponent: “The United States is deeply concerned about Russia’s actions on Alexei Navalny. We reiterate the request for his immediate and unconditional release, as well as all those detained by exercise your rights ”.
The British chancellor tweeted that “the cruel decision shows that Russia is not meeting its most basic commitments to be a responsible member of the international community.”
The head of German diplomacy also said the verdict was “a blow to fundamental freedoms and the rule of law” and again demanded that Navalny be released immediately.
“The verdict has no credibility and goes against the international human rights obligations that Russia has assumed,” the Council of Europe said.
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During the hearing, Navalny was defiant in front of Russian prosecutors and judges and used various appeals against Vladimir Putin: “Can you explain to me how he was supposed to meet the conditions of the suspended sentence and notify him where I am?” Navalny asked in the cut.
At one point, a representative of the prison system asked him why he had not produced documents showing that he had good reasons for not attending the inspections. “Because he was in a coma?” Navalny replied.
“How can you sit here and say you don’t know where I’ve been?” I was in a coma, I was transferred to intensive care and then I went through a process of physical rehabilitation. My lawyer notified him. You had my address and contact details. What else could I have done to inform you?
“Even the country’s president said live on television that he allowed me to go to Germany for treatment. Didn’t you know it too? continued the Russian opponent.
Alexei Navalny later described Vladimir Putin as “a little thug hiding in the bunker” and said that his survival after Novice’s poisoning was “a profound insult” to Vladimir Putin.
“He may still pretend to be a great politician, a great world leader, but he will go down in history as the poisonous Putin.” We had Alexander the Liberator (ed. – Tsar Alexander II), Yaroslav the Wise and now we have Vladimir the poisoner of panties, ”said Alexei Navalny in front of the court. “Putin is not about geopolitics, but about conferences debating how to dye panties with chemical weapons.”
Navalny supporters announce protests
Supporters of the Russian opponent have announced that they will take to the streets to protest against this decision. They tried to meet in front of the court, but the police were already present and ready to arrest them. 300 protesters have already been arrested.
On Sunday, protests across the country were brutally suppressed by Russian authorities, who arrested more than 5,000 people across the country and acted with violence against peaceful protesters and journalists.
Additionally, several of Navalny’s allies and members of his family have been arrested or detained at his home in recent weeks, fueling fears of a wave of harsh political repression. Navalny’s wife has been arrested twice since the couple returned to the country.
Publisher: Adrian Dumitru
