The jailed Russian opposition figure says investigators have opened what he called an 'absurd' terrorism case against him that could see him sentenced to an additional 30 years in jail.
A Moscow court has held a hearing to set the stage for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to face a new trial on extremism charges that he has described as a Kremlin-ordered effort to extend his time behind bars.Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is currently serving time at a maximum-security prison 250 kilometres east of Moscow
On Wednesday, he appeared in court via videolink where it was announced he would face new terrorism chargesNavalny, who exposed official corruption and organised massive anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
The new extremism charges against Navalny relate to the activities of his anti-corruption foundation and statements by his top associates. His ally, Leonid Volkov, said the accusations retroactively criminalise all the activities of Navalny's foundation since its creation in 2011 and carry a potential punishment of up to 35 years in prison.
The charges come as Russian authorities conduct an intensifying crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine.
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