Putin critic Alexei Navalny jailed for a further 19 years on 'extremism' charges
4 August 2023, 16:03 | Updated: 4 August 2023, 16:10
Putin critic Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to a further 19 years in jail over 'extremism' charges.
The Russian opposition leader was already serving a nine-year term for a range of charges, including fraud and contempt of court.
Navalny has long claimed the charges are politically motivated, with many of the new charges linked to his anti-corruption foundation.
The political figure was always expecting a notable extension to his sentence, posting to social media via his team before the judgement.
He noted his expectations, adding the sentence increase was likely to be "huge” - a length he labelled “a Stalinist term", referencing Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
In 2021, Russian authorities outlawed the foundation and the vast network of Mr Navalny's offices in Russian regions, calling them 'extremist organisations' and exposing anyone involved to possible prosecution.
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He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning. He blamed that poisoning on the Kremlin, which denied involvement.
The authorities previously sentenced him to 2.5 years in prison for parole violations and then to another nine years on charges of fraud and contempt of court.
It was not immediately clear if he will serve the new sentence concurrently with those.
