Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny jailed for 19 more years on series of new charges

Imprisoned Russian opposition politician and Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison after being found guilty on a series of new charges, on Friday (August 4), according to media reports citing his supporters and spokespeople.

About the verdict

A footage of the trial shows Navalny appearing before the judge wearing his prison uniform, smiling and speaking with another defendant, on Friday in the court. 

The court in the IK-6 penal colony in Russia’s Melekhovo, which is about 235 kilometres east of the capital Moscow, held the trial on six separate criminal charges, which included inciting and financing extremist activity and creating an extremist organisation.

“Alexey Navalny was sentenced to 19 years at a maximum security penal colony,” said spokesperson Kira Yarmysh, as quoted by AFP. The Kremlin critic is already serving sentences totalling 11 and a half years on charges like fraud which he has since called bogus. 

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The sentence is said to be the longest of the three he has been handed. According to reports, the battery of new charges is related to alleged extremist activity by the Russian politician. Notably, his political movement has previously been outlawed and declared “extremist”. 

Navalny’s team said that the judge had added 19 years to his sentence as a result of the new charges, while the state prosecutors had sought another 20 years in a penal colony. However, the Russian politician had predicted this a day prior to his trial and said he expected a lengthy, “Stalinist” prison term.

Navalny, 47, was already in the midst of serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a penal colony east of Moscow. Notably, the verdict marks the Russian politician's 5th criminal conviction. 

Navalny urges Russians to keep resisting the Kremlin

In a first statement since the verdict, the Kremlin critic took to Facebook and wrote, “They want to frighten you, not me, and deprive you of the will to resist.” He added, “You are being forced to surrender your Russia without a fight to a gang of traitors, thieves and scoundrels who have seized power...Don’t lose the will to resist.”

‘Unacceptable’: Verdict sparks international criticism 

The verdict has since sparked criticism from the United Nations, Germany and the European Union as well as rights groups who have condemned the decision and called it unacceptable.

UN

In a statement, UN human rights agency chief, Volker Turk criticised the decision and called for Navalny’s immediate release. “The new sentence imposed today on opposition figure Alexei Navalny raises renewed serious concerns about judicial harassment and instrumentalisation of the court system for political purposes in Russia.” 

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He also urged the Russian authorities to “immediately (cease) violations of Navalny’s human rights and release him”. 

Germany

“Russia’s arbitrary justice system imprisoning Alexei Navalny for another 19 years is pure injustice,” said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, on social media. She added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “fears nothing more than standing up against war and corruption and for democracy – even from a prison cell. He will not silence critical voices with this.” 

EU

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel said, “The latest verdict in yet another sham trial against Alexei Navalny is unacceptable. This arbitrary conviction is the response to his courage to speak critically against the Kremlin's regime.” 

France

The French government called for Navalny's release and said that the country condemned the verdict "in the strongest terms" and called the trial "judicial persecution".

United States

The US slammed Russia over the trial and verdict of the Kremlin critic calling it "an unjust conclusion to an unjust trial." A statement by the US State Department also said how the Kremlin, for years, has "attempted to silence Navalny and prevent his calls for transparency and accountability from reaching the Russian people."

It added, "Russian authorities illustrated yet again both the baselessness of their case and the lack of due process afforded to those who dare to criticize the regime."

Amnesty International

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, called the sentence “a sinister act of political vengeance that not only targets Navalny personally but serves as a warning to state critics across the country”.

(With inputs from agencies)

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