Russian Opposition Activist Navalny Sentenced To 19 More Years In Prison1 min read
MOSCOW — A Russian court has convicted and sentenced opposition leader Alexey Navalny to an additional 19 years in prison on extremism-related charges — the latest in a series of harsh prison terms meted out to political opponents of the Kremlin amid its war in Ukraine.
The trial of Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic critic, unfolded behind closed doors and highly unusual circumstances. Judges moved the courtroom from Moscow to inside a maximum security prison in Melekhovo — some 150 miles east of the capital — where Navalny is already serving a 9-year sentence on fraud and embezzlement charges.
In Friday’s ruling, the court found Navalny had retroactively financed and incited “extremist activities” through his now-defunct Anti-Corruption Foundation. Judges also found the opposition leader guilty of “rehabilitating Nazi ideology.”
Navalny, 47, has denied the charges and rejected the prison court proceedings — which resulted in his fifth criminal conviction in recent years — as the latest round of political retribution from a Kremlin intent on silencing him over the long haul.
