Russian Opposition Leader Handed Further 19 Year Jail Term

The jailed Russian Opposition Leader, Alexei Navalny has been handed a further 19 year jail term, at a trial in a remote penal colony.

Mr Navalny was found guilty of founding and funding an extremist organisation and activities.

However, he has denied the charges.

He is already serving a nine-year term for parole violations, fraud and contempt of court.

Since his jailing in 2021, Mr Navalny has been held at a remote penal colony.

Mr Navalny will serve his time in a maximum-security colony, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said.

Russian State prosecutors had called for a 20-year prison sentence for Mr Navalny.

In a message posted on social media ahead of the verdict, Mr Navalny expressed his belief that he would be handed a “Stalinist” style prison term designed to frighten other potential dissenters.

On paper, it is a Moscow court that is hearing the case. But the decision to hold a remote trial in a prison suggests that the Russian authorities wanted to avoid the publicity that would inevitably come with transporting Mr Navalny to the Russian Capital.

When Mr Navalny delivered his final statement two weeks ago, there was no video or audio recording of his words. But the text of his speech criticising the Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine was made public.

Mr Navalny could yet face further charges. He says that investigators have told him to expect another trial on terrorism charges.

For more than a decade, Mr Navalny sought to expose corruption at the heart of Russian power. His video investigations have received tens of millions of views online.

A charismatic campaigner, he seemed to be the only Russian opposition leader capable of mobilising people in large numbers across Russia to take part in Anti-Government protests.

But in 2020, he was poisoned in Siberia by what Western laboratories later confirmed to be a nerve agent.

After recovering from the attack, Mr Navalny returned to Russia in 2021 despite warnings that he could face arrest.

He was immediately arrested upon arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

BBC/ AISHA