Biden administration condemns Alexei Navalny’s ‘politically motivated’ conviction on ‘trumped up charges’ after Russian opposition leader received 9-year sentence and says 15,000 Russians have been detained since Putin invaded Ukraine
- Navalny had already served two and a half years for a parole violation.
- He was jailed last year after he left the country for treatment after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent.
- Russian court sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud and contempt of court
- State Representative Ned Price called the sentence against opposition leader Putin “politically motivated.”
- He said Russia has arrested more than 15,000 citizens during anti-war protests since the Feb. 20 invasion of Ukraine.
- President Joe Biden is heading to Europe today to meet with allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department condemns a nine-year sentence given by a Russian court to opposition leader Alexei Navalny amid the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent at home.
On Tuesday, a Russian court found Navalny guilty of fraud and contempt of court as Russian authorities continued to jail and try to silence street protesters who defied new decrees against criticism of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“We condemn the politically motivated conviction and sentencing by Russian authorities of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on additional false charges to an additional nine years in a maximum security prison,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement released Tuesday evening.
“This outlandish prison term is a continuation of the Kremlin’s years-long attack on Navalny and his movement for government transparency and accountability. Of course, Navalny’s true crime in the eyes of the Kremlin is his activities as an anti-corruption activist and opposition politician, for which he and his associates have been labeled extremists by the Russian authorities,” he said.
The US condemned the verdict after tweets posted from Navalny’s Twitter account called for action against “war criminals” Vladimir Putin.
The State Department criticized the “outlandish prison term” handed down by the Russian court to the leader of the Russian opposition Alexei Navalny
On Tuesday, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison. “Now more than ever, the people of Russia must have the opportunity to hear voices of courage and integrity speaking the truth about the Kremlin’s wrongdoings at home and abroad,” said government spokesman Ned Price.
Navalny had already served two and a half years for a parole violation. He was jailed last year after he left the country for treatment after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent.
The State Department linked Navalny’s conviction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24.
It is also Navalny’s “nearly fatal 2020 nerve agent poisoning by Russian security services and his unjust detention since January 2020” and Russia’s suppression of free speech.
“This campaign has intensified as the Kremlin tries to hide the truth about its brutal war against Ukraine from its own people. More than 15,000 Russian citizens have been detained for participating in anti-war protests since February 24,” Price said, calling on Russia to “unconditionally release” Navalny.
“Now more than ever, the people of Russia must be able to hear voices of courage and honesty speaking the truth about the Kremlin’s wrongdoings at home and abroad.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the verdict against Putin’s political opponent in an interview with CNN correspondent Christiane Amonpour. She asked him what he and the regime were “afraid of”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the sentence against Putin’s political opponent in an interview, saying it was purely an “economic crime.”
President Joe Biden travels to Europe on Wednesday to meet with allied leaders to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘Not. Navalny – a convict is a convict. He had his first sentence. Now he has a second one. And he is accused, and then the prosecutor’s office proves that he is accused of fraud. So this is a purely economic crime. He collected money with his foundation, from citizens, ordinary citizens of Russia, as well as from abroad, ”he said.
– And he spent part of this money for personal purposes. This is a scam in our country. And he should have been punished and no one is afraid of him. Its it. If a person is a criminal, he should be in jail. This is the same thing that is happening in the United States and in European countries,” he said.
This prompted Amonpour to intervene: “I know what you say. I know that’s what the prosecution says. But the people who allegedly claimed that he took their money and used it for himself later said in court that they were forced to give this evidence.”
Navalny’s Twitter account says Putin is “afraid of the truth”
Navalny wrote on his Twitter account that Putin was “afraid of the truth,” adding: “Fighting censorship and getting the truth out to the people of Russia remains our priority.
“The Kremlin is smashing the media, and in response we are creating new ones.”