Oleg Navalny encouraged violations of sanitary regulations during the January demonstration in Moscow, the Moscow court concluded. And he sentenced the brother of a famous opposition activist to a suspended one year imprisonment. The demonstration was held in defense of the arrested Alexei Navalny.
Oleg Navalny did not plead guilty. The prosecutor demanded a one-year sentence suspended for three years. The court cited restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not allow journalists to the trial.
Even before the verdict, Oleg Navalny’s lawyer Nikos Paraskievov told the media that in the event of a conviction, whether it was lenient or not, there would be an appeal. He announced that, if necessary, he would refer to the European Court of Human Rights.
Oleg Navalny Mikhail Tereshchenko / ITAR-TASS / PAP / EPA
Post Navalny on Facebook
The reason for initiating the criminal case was a post on Facebook in which Oleg Navalny wished his son a birthday, wishing him not to grow up “in a police state where people are imprisoned for the truth.” Then he called on Internet users to 23 January this year. they took to the streets of their cities. On that day, protests were held in Russian cities in defense of the arrested Alexei Navalny. The police in Moscow decided that people infected with the coronavirus came to the protest in the capital.
Charges for other associates
Similar allegations of encouraging violations of sanitary regulations were brought against other associates of Navalny. So far, lawyer Lyubov Sobol has been sentenced to 1.5 years of restriction of liberty. On Friday, Nikolai Laskin, an activist of the Foundation for Combating Corruption founded by Navalny, recognized by the court as an extremist organization, also received a sentence (the year of restriction of freedom).
Main photo source: Mikhail Tereshchenko / ITAR-TASS / PAP / EPA