More than 200 supporters of the Russian opposition leader and the Kremlin’s main critic, Alexei Navalny, were arrested Tuesday in front of a trial hearing that could lead to prison for up to three and a half years.
At least 287 people were arrested during the hearing, days after more than 5,000 people were detained across the country for protesting in support of Navalny, according to the independent protest monitoring group OVD-Info.
Navalny received a suspended prison sentence for fraud in 2014, which Russian authorities are now applying to turn into a full prison term for alleged parole violations. The European Court of Human Rights found this condemnation to be politically motivated.
Navalny, 44, was poisoned and nearly died while conducting a corruption investigation in Siberia last summer. He was flown to Germany for treatment after Russian doctors found no signs of poisoning. It was later determined that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, which Navalny claims was commissioned by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Standing behind reinforced glass, Navalny played with his wife Yulia, who was arrested at a rally last weekend, calling her “a bad girl”.
Later, Navalny made a fiery speech in court, denouncing the lawsuit and reiterating his claim that the case against him was forged, according to a transcript provided by Russian news channel TV Doghd. Reporters were present, but were not allowed to bring cameras to the court.
He said that President Putin was personally behind him.
“He may pretend to be a great politician, but he will go down in history as a poisoner,” said Navalny. “We had Alexander the Liberator, Yaroslav the Wise, and now we will have Vladimir, the Underwear Poisoner.”
Navalny was referring to his own poisoning investigation, which he claims to have revealed that his alleged killers had spread poison in his underwear.
The purpose of his trial was not to arrest him, but to summon his supporters, he said.
“This process will not be perceived by people as a sign of more fear,” he said. “This is a demonstration of weakness, not strength.”
Illustrating international interest in the case, foreign diplomats from at least 12 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, appeared in court to observe the hearing, the court confirmed to Russian news agency Interfax.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Facebook that the presence of diplomats “is not just meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, but the self-incrimination of the West’s ugly and illegal attempts to contain Russia.”
While Navalny’s trial was underway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow had reason to believe that the politician’s poisoning was “a scam”, said Russian state news agency Tass.
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Navalny has been a stumbling block for years with his anti-corruption investigations among the Kremlin’s elite. His latest investigation into a luxurious palace allegedly owned by Putin has been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube. The Russian president denied that he owned the palace.
Navalny was arrested at a Moscow airport when he arrived from Berlin last month and asked his supporters and those frustrated with the Putin regime to “abandon their fear” and take to the streets in protest.
His calls were answered when tens of thousands of people joined protesters across Russia on January 23 – despite freezing temperatures, the coronavirus pandemic and several warnings from Russian authorities not to attend – in one of the biggest demonstrations of discontent. that Russia has seen in recent years. Nearly 4,000 people were arrested by the police, some of them with violence.
On Sunday, a similar-sized crowd took to the streets again across the country amid high security in the country’s capital. More than 5,600, including journalists, were arrested amid reports that police used tear gas, tasers and batons to crack down on protesters.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, on Monday described the protesters as “hooligans” and “bullies” who exhibited “aggressive behavior” towards law enforcement.
Navalny’s arrest and police crackdown on protesters caused outrage in the United States and its European allies. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russian authorities for using “harsh tactics” against protesters and journalists on Sunday.
It is an issue that put pressure on both the Kremlin and President Joe Biden as he plotted his foreign policy course for Russia.
Yuliya Talmazan and Patrick Smith reported from London; Matt Bodner reported from Moscow.
Reuters contributed to this report.
