Russia has opened a new trial against Alexei Navalny, an opponent who is already serving a 19-year prison sentence announced on Friday, as Moscow steps up its suppression of any dissident opinion since the start of its offensive against Ukraine.
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The charismatic anti-corruption activist and number one Kremlin critic narrowly escaped death when he was poisoned in August 2020 and spent several months recovering in Germany.
The 47-year-old Alexei Navalny was arrested upon his return in January 2021 and has since been sentenced to long prison terms, most recently in August with 19 years in prison for “extremism”.
Authorities are now accusing him of “vandalism,” which could extend his sentence by three years, he said, citing a letter from the Russian Investigative Committee he received in prison.
“They initiate new criminal proceedings against me every three months,” he denounced on social networks.
“Never has a prisoner who has been in solitary confinement for more than a year had such a rich social and political life,” joked the opponent.
He communicates mainly through messages that he sends to his lawyers and then circulates on the Internet, particularly denouncing the offensive in Ukraine and calling on Russians to continue to “resist” the Kremlin.
For more than two and a half years, Alexei Navalny has alternated stays in solitary confinement with more or less strict prison conditions, decisions made by the prison administration that he condemns every time.
His time behind bars has already taken its toll on his health, and the once radiant activist now appears emaciated and aged.
Russia has been facing increasing suppression of critical voices for several years, which intensified significantly after the Russian attack on Ukraine began in February 2022.
Almost all major opponents have been jailed or driven into exile, and thousands of ordinary Russians have been prosecuted for expressing dissatisfaction with the Kremlin, including on social media.