Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny could see decades added to his time behind bars.
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is facing a verdict that could see decades added to his time behind barsTo describe Alexei Navalny's trial as "behind closed doors" is an understatement. It is being held in a high-security prison.
We were among a group of journalists allowed briefly into the penal colony for the start of the trial. In a "press room" we could view proceedings on a video screen. The picture was not on the screen for long. An hour and a half into the trial, the prosecutor demanded the closing of proceedings to press and public. The judge agreed. The video feed was cut.When Navalny delivered his final statement two weeks ago, there was no video or audio recording of his words. But the text of his speech criticising the Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine was made public. His supporters, including Russian actors and musicians in exile, read it out and posted online.
But it is his ability to mobilise the public, especially young Russians, to take to the streets which makes the authorities especially nervous. In recent years Navalny has been the only Russian opposition leader capable of organising anti-Putin protests on a national scale. After he received urgent medical care in Germany, his decision to return to Russia in 2021 will have been viewed by those in power here as a direct challenge to the Kremlin. He was arrested on arrival at a Moscow airport.Navalny with his wife Yulia on board a flight from Berlin to Moscow before his arrest in 2021
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