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Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was convicted on Tuesday of fraud and embezzlement, according to official information from the court confirming the expectations that prevailed in the face of the outcome of this media trial. The court also upheld the court’s accusation of disrespect, but the sentence that will be applied to Navalny will only be known in the next few hours.
A Russian court has found that the most famous opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been involved in large-scale fraudulent activities. The public ministry wants Navalny to be transferred to a maximum security prison for 13 years, not only for alleged fraud but also for disrespect for the court – allegations that several NGOs have already said are unsupported and merely a way to silence opposition to Putin.
Navalny says the court case is a way to silence his opposition to Putin.
Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence in a prison near Moscow for violating his parole – after being accused of stealing nearly €5 million in political donations for campaigns in which he participated. Navalny, who denies the allegations, was subjected to attempted poisoning with a client novichokWho survived him after a month in a hospital in Germany.
