Jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny faces 30 extra years in jail on new ‘extremism’ fees as new trial begins

Alexei Navalny – the jailed critic of Vladimir Putin – has appeared in court docket in Russia on new “extremism” fees that might prolong his jail time period by a long time.

The Russian opposition chief is already serving sentences totalling 11-and-a-half years after being discovered responsible of fees – together with fraud.

He now faces a brand new trial – together with allegations of making an extremist organisation – which is happening at a most safety jail in Melekhovo, 150 miles east of the Russian capital Moscow.

The 47-year-old says he faces as much as 30 years in jail if discovered responsible of the fees, which he has beforehand described as “absurd”.

During the listening to, he stood and spoke for about three minutes, contesting the authority of the choose.

“I believe that, taking into account the current circumstances, and of criminal law, you should withdraw,” he stated.

Reporters weren’t allowed into the courtroom through the listening to and watched the proceedings through video feed from a separate constructing.

Mr Navalny’s mother and father have been additionally denied entry and adopted the listening to remotely.

His supporters have accused Moscow of attempting to interrupt him to silence his criticism of the Russian president, which the Kremlin denies.

They have additionally accused jail authorities of failing to offer Mr Navalny with correct medical help and have voiced considerations about his well being.

Asked concerning the case, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: “We are not following this trial.”

In March final yr, Mr Navalny was sentenced to 9 years in jail after he was discovered responsible of large-scale fraud and contempt of court docket.

He was already serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for parole violations associated to fees he claims have been fabricated.

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Mr Navalny, whose campaigning organisations have been banned in Russia as “extremist”, is serving his sentence in a maximum-security penal colony at Melekhovo.

Earlier this month, Mr Navalny had his sarcastic calls for to Russian jail officers for a pet kangaroo, a Russian musical instrument known as a balalaika, and a bottle of moonshine liquor denied.

Mr Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after he returned to Russia from Germany, the place he had been recovering from nerve agent poisoning.

He had fallen unwell on a flight to Moscow and was subsequently discovered to have been poisoned with novichok throughout a marketing campaign journey to Siberia.