Alexei Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison

Moscow, March 22

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted of fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to nine years in a maximum security prison on Tuesday, in a trial Kremlin critics see as an attempt to keep President Vladimir Putin’s most ardent foe in prison for as long as possible.

A judge also ruled that Navalny will have to pay a fine of 1.2 million rubles (about USD 11,500). Navalny can appeal the ruling.

Navalny, who is already serving two-and-a-half years in a penal colony east of Moscow, had been accused of embezzling money that he and his foundation raised over the years and of insulting a judge during a previous trial.

The politician has rejected the allegations as politically motivated. The prosecution had asked for 13 years in a maximum security prison for the anti-corruption crusader and a 1.2 million-ruble fine. The trial, which opened about a month ago, unfolded in a makeshift courtroom in the prison colony hours away from Moscow where Navalny is serving a sentence for parole violations. Navalny’s supporters have criticized the authorities’ decision to move the proceedings there from a courthouse in Moscow, saying it has effectively limited access to the proceedings for the media and supporters.

Navalny (45) has appeared at hearings wearing prison garb. — AP

Fined $11,500

• Navalny will have to pay a fine of 1.2 million rubles ($11,500). He can file appeal against the ruling
• His lawyers were detained after court hearing