Russian court finds Kremlin critic Navalny guilty of fraud

A Russian court has found jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny guilty of large-scale fraud, the court said on Tuesday.

Russian prosecutors are seeking to move Navalny to a maximum security penal colony for 13 years on charges of fraud and contempt of court.

Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions.

Russian authorities have cracked down hard on the opposition, and many of Navalny’s most prominent allies have left Russia rather than face restrictions or jail at home.

The 32-year-old activist Yarmysh left Russia last year after a court imposed 18 months of restrictions on her freedom of movement for breaching COVID-19 safety rules, the charge which she calls politically motivated. She is currently on a wanted list in Russia.

Last week Navalny who’s appearance in court last week was transmitted live from prison to reporters covering the case, used the occasion to renew his call for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and to say he and his colleagues won’t be intimidated.

via Reuters