Alexei Navalny voiced hope for a better future in Russia as his supporters held pickets and demonstrations to mark the imprisoned opposition leader's 47th birthday on Sunday.
Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, charges he says were trumped up to punish him for his work to expose official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests.
Risking their own prison terms, some Navalny supporters in Russia marked his birthday by holding individual pickets, while others painted graffiti. At least 45 people were detained, according to the OVD-Info group that monitors political arrests. Navalny’s supporters also showed up in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities, holding one-person pickets and leaving signs and graffiti in Navalny’s support. Many were detained.
He initially received a 2½-year prison sentence for a parole violation. Last year, he was sentenced to nine years for fraud and contempt of court. He is currently serving time at a maximum-security prison 150 miles east of Moscow. A Moscow court scheduled a preliminary hearing Tuesday to discuss technical issues related to a new trial of Navalny, rejecting a request by his lawyers for more time to examine voluminous new charges that he rejected as “absurd.”
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Can I have a kangaroo? Navalny taunts Russian jail with bizarre requestsNavalny asked for a bottle of moonshine, a balalaika, tobacco and a kimono; all were refused.
Read more »
Inside Russia’s penal colonies: A look at life for political prisoners caught in Putin’s crackdownsWhen Alexei Navalny turns 47 on Sunday, he'll wake up in a bare concrete cell with hardly any natural light.
Read more »
Inside Russia's penal colonies: A look at life for political prisoners caught in Putin's crackdownsAlexei Navalny will spend his 47th birthday Sunday in a tiny prison cell with hardly any natural light. He won’t be able to see or talk to loved ones because phone calls and visits are banned for those in “punishment isolation.” Prison guards usually blast patriotic songs and speeches of President Vladimir Putin at him. He's serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and faces another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. While he gets most of the attention, there’s a growing number of less-known prisoners in Russia, some of whom serve their time in similarly harsh conditions.
Read more »
Kremlin foe Navalny’s demands in prison: moonshine, a balalaika and a pet kangaroo — all deniedImprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released excerpts of his correspondence with prison administrators Friday, detailing his sarcastic demands for things like a bottle of moonshine, a balalaika and even a kangaroo. His requests were denied.
Read more »
Russia mulls drone warning system as strikes on country mount'They're getting a taste of what the Ukrainians have experienced,' one expert told Newsweek about the recent wave of UAV attacks.
Read more »