MELEKHOVO, Russia (Reuters) – Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition politician currently serving a prison sentence, has been handed an additional 19 years in prison after being found guilty on a series of fresh charges, according to his supporters on social media.
During a court hearing at a penal colony located east of Moscow, Navalny was seen wearing a black prison uniform, with his arms folded, while he listened to the verdicts. However, due to the poor audio feed from the court, it was nearly impossible to discern what the judge was saying.
Navalny, who is considered the most prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin, is already serving a sentence of 11 and a half years in the penal colony on charges of fraud, which he claims were fabricated in an attempt to silence him.
Prior to the verdict, Navalny had predicted that he would receive an additional “Stalinist” sentence of approximately 18 years.
The new charges brought against the 47-year-old politician are related to alleged extremist activities.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
