MOSCOW (AP) – A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal for his arrest, while authorities detained several of his allies and issued notices to social media companies after tens of thousands invaded the streets in more than 100 Russian cities over the past weekend demanding his release.
Appearing in court over a prison video link, Navalny denounced the criminal case against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.
“You will not be able to scare tens of millions of people who were robbed by that government,” he said. “Yes, now you have the power to handcuff me, but it won’t last forever.”
Navalny, 44, the best-known critic of the government of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on January 17 on his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nervous agent poisoning he attributes to the Kremlin. Russian authorities rejected the charges.
Navalny was detained and jailed for 30 days at the request of the Russian prison service, which accused him of violating the terms of probation of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money laundering conviction that was rejected as politically motivated. He is also facing charges in two separate criminal investigations.
Before the Moscow Regional Court rejected the appeal of his recent arrest, defense lawyers argued that, while undergoing rehabilitation in Germany, Navalny could not register with the authorities, as required by parole terms. His lawyers also accused Navalny’s due process rights were repeatedly violated during his arrest.
Navalny described his arrest after a previous hearing held quickly at a police station as a mockery of justice.
“It was a demonstration of illegality with the intention of scaring me and everyone else,” he told the Moscow court.
Navalny’s supporters are organizing another round of rallies for Sunday. Police raided Navalny’s apartment on Wednesday, a rented accommodation where his wife, Yulia, lives and the homes of several of her associates and supporters.
Navalny’s brother, Oleg Navalny, his main ally, Lyubov Sobol, Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva of the Alliance of Doctors supported by Navalny and Maria Alyokhina of the punk collective Pussy Riot were detained for 48 hours as part of a criminal investigation into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during last Saturday’s protests.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the searches and arrests were a legitimate part of police efforts to investigate alleged violations during the events.
“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “There have been numerous violations of Russian law and law enforcement agencies are working.”
Moscow police on Thursday issued a warning to the public not to join the protests on Sunday, warning that officials would act decisively to disperse unsanctioned demonstrations and bring participants to justice.
Also on Thursday, Russian prosecutors issued notices to Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social networks, demanding that they block calls for further protests.
“The state does not want social media to become a platform for promoting such illegal actions,” said Peskov.
Asked whether a refusal to remove such content could prompt Russian authorities to block the platforms, Peskov said it would be up to the relevant government agencies to consider a response.
“All the pros and cons will be weighed and, if necessary, the measures provided for by law will be taken,” he said.
Earlier this week, Russian state communications watchman Roskomnadzor said he would fine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian social networks for not blocking calls from minors to join Saturday’s protests.
Facebook, Google and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment on the Russian authorities’ action. Twitter declined to comment to the Associated Press on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the Russian Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal investigation against Navalny’s top strategist, Leonid Volkov, accusing him of encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies. Volkov, who is currently abroad, rejected the charges.
“The streets must speak now. There’s nothing left, ”Volkov tweeted after Navalny’s appeal was dismissed, repeating the call to the Russians to appear in force on Sunday.
In a challenge to Putin two days after Navalny’s arrest, his organization released an extensive video report about a palace complex on the waterfront supposedly built for the president. It has been seen more than 98 million times, further increasing discontent.
Demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release took place in more than 100 cities across the country last Saturday, a strong demonstration of growing anger at the Kremlin. Almost 4,000 people were arrested in these protests and some received fines and prison terms.
Speaking during Thursday’s hearing, Navalny thanked his supporters and said: “They are the last barrier that prevents our country from falling into degradation”.
Navalny fell into a coma on a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a hospital in Berlin two days later. Laboratories in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.
Russian authorities have refused to open a full criminal investigation, citing lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.
Navalny’s arrest and harsh police actions during the protests sparked much criticism from the West and called for his release.
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Associated Press business writer Kelvin Chan of London contributed to this report.