Alexey navalny was sentenced to another 19 years of imprisonment in a trial for "extremism". For Russian President Vladimir Putin's opponent, it is yet another condemnation, but not unexpected. In fact, on the eve of the sentence, he had declared that he expected a "Stalinist" sentence. Now, the Russian dissident will serve his sentence in a penal colony with an even harsher regime than the one in which he is detained, reserved for those criminals considered the most dangerous in Russia.
Navalny was arrested in 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated after a near-fatal poisoning, for which he always blamed Russia's internal intelligence services. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and contempt of court. Now the total years in prison will be 30.
The new trial against Navalny
Il trial behind closed doors against the Russian dissident had begun in mid-June in the maximum security penal colony IK-6 of Melenkhovo, 235 kilometers east of Moscow, therefore far from the capital (normally it should have been held in a court). Navalny, as always, rejects all the accusations, "artfully constructed" to keep him "in jail for as long as possible". The political opponent attended the reading of the sentence, appearing visibly tried by the two and a half years of restrictive prison to which he is subjected.
As follows from verdict, Navalny was recognized guilty "to have created and participated in an extremist community as well as to have financed extremist activities, organized an extremist community, public tenders for extremist activities and involved minors in activities dangerous for them". The prosecution had asked for 20 years' imprisonment.
The international response was not long in coming. “This arbitrary condemnation is the answer to his courage to speak out critically against the Kremlin regime. I reiterate the EU's appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of Navalny", said the president of the EU Council, Charles Michel.
