At the hearing, Navalny verbally attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.
Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison in March on charges of embezzlement and contempt of court. Navalny, who was already in prison, took part in the court hearing – behind bars – via video link. Wearing black prisoner’s clothing and a winter jacket, he appeared composed at first and joked about problems with the sound transmission. He followed the verdict with a grumpy face and didn’t mince his words when he was allowed to speak one last time at the end of the trial: “I despise your court, your system,” he said, and the trial made “no sense.”
He called Russian President Putin a madman. “This is a stupid war that your Putin started,” says Navalny in the live video link. “This war is based on lies.” Although he was repeatedly interrupted by the judge, Navalny was undeterred. Russia is run by thieves and criminals who have become enemies of the Russian people, he says.
The appeal process began last week, but Navalny asked for the hearing to be postponed by a week so that he could meet his family again before being transferred to another penal colony.
In prison since last year
The opposition member has been in prison since January 2021 on other allegations. In March, a court ruled that Navalny had used millions of euros in donations paid to his political organizations for personal purposes.
Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after returning from Berlin. In Germany, he spent several months recovering from an attack with a nerve agent, for which he blames the Kremlin. Moscow denies the allegations.
Since his imprisonment, the Russian authorities have cracked down on critical voices and independent media – especially since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Navalny’s most important organizations were banned. The Kremlin critic himself and some of his comrades-in-arms were put on the authorities’ list of “terrorists and extremists” in January.
Source: Nachrichten
