A Russian court has sentenced Alexey Navalny to jail over alleged parole violations in an embezzlement case dating back to 2014, which the Kremlin opponent argues is politically motivated.

A Russian court sentenced Navalny to three and a half years in jail after ruling he had violated the terms of his parole, but said his prison term would be shortened for time he had served earlier under house arrest.

The Simonovsky District Court in Moscow on Tuesday ordered Navalny to prison for three and a half years, finding that he violated the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning. It said, however, his prison term would be shortened for time he had served earlier under house arrest, which means Navalny will serve more than two and a half years in jail.

The ruling is almost certain to fuel more demonstrations in support of Navalny across the country and deepen a rift between Russia and Western powers demanding the 44-year-old’s release.

It comes two weeks after Navalny was arrested on January 17 upon returning to Moscow from Berlin, where he spent five months recovering from the poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities reject the accusation.

Speaking from a glass cage in the courtroom during his hearing, Navalny attributed his arrest to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “fear and hatred”, saying the Russian leader will go down in history as a “poisoner”.

“I have deeply offended him simply by surviving the assassination attempt that he ordered,” he said. “The aim of that hearing is to scare a great number of people,” Navalny said. “You can’t jail millions. You can’t jail the entire country.”

Russian police detained 311 people in Moscow ahead of the hearing, the OVD-Info protest monitoring group said.

Riot police were deployed in large numbers outside the court after Navalny’s allies called on supporters to gather outside in support.

Navalny’s detention has sparked nationwide protests against Putin. Thousands of people were detained as tens of thousands defied a heavy police presence to fill the streets in towns and cities across Russia on Sunday for the second week running to demand the Kremlin critic’s release.

World Opinions News – agencies

L’article Russian court jails Alexey Navalny over parole violations est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Russian police have detained thousands of people as protesters took to the streets across the country demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.

On Sunday, police detained more than 4,000 people at protests in cities nationwide, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors political arrests.

More than 1,000 people were detained in Moscow. Security forces detained Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Navalny, at a protest in Moscow, his supporters said on social media.

Navalnaya was also detained at a similar demonstration in support of her husband last week.

The first rallies took place in the Far East, including the port city of Vladivostok where protesters gathered in the city’s central square despite police closing it off ahead of the rally.

“The desire to live in a free country is stronger than the fear of being detained,” said Andrei, 25, who declined to give his last name.

Footage from Vladivostok showed dozens of protesters escaping the police on the frozen waters of the Amur Bay and circle dancing. More than 100 arrests were made there.

Police ramp up pressure on opposition with arrests and criminal probes as Navalny allies gather for new protests.

Videos posted online showed demonstrators being hauled into buses by police. The mostly young people were seen dancing and chanting: “Putin is a thief,” and “Freedom for Russia.”

Interior ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk denounced the demonstrators.

“In the current circumstances, the risk of the protests’ … provocations is increasing and their aim is to violate civil order. In this situation, your personal safety can be under threat. We strongly recommend you to warn your underage children, other relatives and acquaintance from participating in the unauthorised events,” she said.

Yulia, a 40-year-old protester in Moscow, said she had come to the protests despite having a panic attack the night before because of worrying about repercussions for taking part.

“I understand that I live in a totally lawless state. In a police state, with no independent courts. In a country ruled by corruption. I would like to live differently,” she said, only giving her first name.

Despite authorities ramping up pressure on the opposition with arrests, Navalny aides called for new nationwide demonstrations ahead of the opposition leader’s trial set to start on Tuesday.

The United States urged Russia to release Navalny and criticised the crackdown on protests.

“The US condemns the persistent use of harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists by Russian authorities for a second week straight,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter.

World Opinions News – agencies

L’article Russia arrests thousands as crackdown on Navalny allies continues est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.