Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Kremlin critic Navalny loses appeal and is found guilty of defamation

Kremlin critic Navalny loses appeal and is found guilty of defamation

The opposition leader, who returned to Russia in January after being treated for Novichok poisoning in Germany, appeared before a Moscow court in two separate cases on Saturday.

A Moscow court rejected Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's appeal against his prison sentence on Saturday, upholding a ruling that could see the Kremlin critic sent to a forced labour camp for nearly three years.

Navalny, who is the focus of multiple ongoing legal proceedings, was also found guilty of defamation in a separate case.

Speaking before the verdict, Navalny urged Russians to stand up to the Kremlin in a fiery speech mixing references to the Bible and Harry Potter.

A lower court sentenced Navalny earlier this month to two years and eight months in prison for violating terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.

Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption crusader and President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, appealed the prison sentence and asked to be released. The Moscow City Court's judge on Saturday only slightly reduced his sentence to just over 2 and a half years in prison, ruling that a month-and-half Navalny spent under house arrest in early 2015 will be deducted from his sentence.

EU intervention


The two hearings come as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) this week called for the release of the 44-year-old Russian anti-corruption activist, arguing a risk is posed to the life of the opposition politician who survived a Novichok poisoning last year.

The intervention was immediately rejected by Moscow, which had already swept aside calls from the European Union for the cases against Navalny to be dropped, despite the threat of sanctions.

Returning to Russia in January from a convalescence in Germany, Navalny was arrested on arrival at the airport and was sentenced on February 2 to two years and eight months in prison.

The court converted a suspended prison sentence for fraud dating from 2014 into a firm sentence for violating his parole conditions.

It was this judgment that was being considered on appeal on Saturday morning in a Moscow court.

Present at the hearing, the opponent rejected the charge, saying he never wanted to evade the Russian authorities by going to Germany and warned them of his return.

"I bought a ticket and told everyone I was going home... It's just absurd," he told the judge, according to an AFP journalist present at the court.

The prosecutor retorted by saying that the opponent had "openly and brazenly" defied the law and that he wants to be granted an "exclusive" right of authorisation.

Ulyana Solopova, a spokeswoman for the Moscow courthouse, told AFP that the prison services will be free to transfer the opponent to one of Russia's many labour camps if the February 2 decision is confirmed.

Further legal action


In addition, Navalny appeared before another judge on Saturday afternoon in a trial for allegedly defaming a World War II veteran.

He was found guilty, and fined around 850,000 roubles (9,500 euros).

As a legacy of the Soviet Union, most prison sentences in Russia are served in prison camps, sometimes far from anywhere. Prisoners are required to work, usually in sewing or furniture-making workshops.

Prison conditions are also regularly denounced by human rights activists.

Navalny, whose incarceration in January led to three days of demonstrations repressed by the police, denounces fabricated legal proceedings and has spent previous hearings defying the court.

According to him, the Kremlin wants to throw him in prison to silence him, after failing to kill him by poisoning him in August last year. Moscow rejects these accusations.

Other cases are ongoing. In particular, a defamation suit has been filed against Navalny by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, reputed to be close to President Vladimir Putin.

He is also being investigated for fraud, a case currently under investigation in which the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.

The EU and the United States have made repeated calls for Navalny's release while the opponent's collaborators have urged the West to punish high-ranking Russian officials close to Putin.

Moscow sees this as "interference" in his affairs and has threatened Europeans with reprisals.

Navalny and his supporters plan to organise new demonstrations against the government in the spring and summer in the run-up to parliamentary elections.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×