Moscow, Sept. 26 (EFE) – Russia’s First Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected the appeal filed by the defense of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, upholding his 19-year prison sentence for extremism.
The court considered the appeal of the defense of Alexei Navalny and Daniel Jolodny and decided not to change the decision of the first instance.
According to the court’s decision, the time Navalny spent in prison will be counted as part of the sentence.
The trial was held behind closed doors at the request of the Russian Interior Ministry, which cited the alleged intention of opposition supporters to stage provocations in court.
Navalny himself participated in the session via videoconference from prison in the Vladimir region – about 200 kilometers from Moscow – where he is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud.
According to the decision, the sentence handed down in August will be enforced and Navalny will be transferred to a maximum security prison.
The opponent was convicted of creating an extremist organization, in reference to the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK), founded in 2011 and banned two years ago.
The FBK greatly irritated the Kremlin because it denounced the illicit enrichment of senior officials, including President Vladimir Putin, whom it accused in 2021 of having a sumptuous palace on the shores of the Black Sea.
He was also accused of financing and inciting extremist activities, creating an organization that violated the rights of citizens and involving minors in dangerous actions, referring to unauthorized opposition demonstrations.EFE
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