He will be transferred to a more restrictive prison after being charged with fraud and contempt
A Moscow court on Tuesday confirmed the nine-year prison sentence handed down to opposition leader Alexei Navalni, charged with fraud and contempt, which includes not only an extension of his jail term, but also tougher prison terms, which will already be subject to a tougher regime. .
Navalni’s defense had appealed the verdict announced in March, but in the end the judge decided to leave it “unchanged”, according to statements collected by the Interfax news agency. Therefore, the sentence would already apply and the opposition leader should be transferred to another prison.
Navalni, who is already serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud in a Moscow prison, has appeared in court by videoconference, where his lawyers have tried unsuccessfully to argue that there is no evidence against him and that everything is framed in political prosecution.
In the latter case, Navalni is charged with several fraudulent activities, some of which are related to fundraising for the activities of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK), an organization founded by himself and labeled “extremist” by Moscow.
The charges of contempt stem from insults against a judge and prosecutor during a libel trial against a World War II veteran, whom he called a “corrupt lackey” and a “traitor.”
Navalni spokeswoman Kira Yarmish has warned that the prison he will be transferred to is “known for torture and killing inmates” and has warned that the verdict confirmed on Tuesday will not be the last as Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep his most symbolic rival behind bars for “as long as he can”.
“It is the job of the whole world to ensure that Putin is defeated as soon as possible,” Yarmish claimed on Twitter.
Source: La Verdad
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