Advertisement

Russian judge orders Alexei Navalny to remain in jail

A Russian court has ordered Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to be kept in jail and rejected his appeal against his detention.

Mr Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was remanded in custody for 30 days on January 18 after flying back to Russia for the first time since being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in August.

A court at the time ordered him detained for alleged parole violations, which he denied.

With various legal cases pending against him, Mr Navalny, 44, could face years in jail.

The EU has called on Russia to release him and tens of thousands of Russians who protested against his jailing on Saturday.

Addressing the presiding judge by video link from jail before the ruling, Mr Navalny demanded to be released and railed against what he said were absurd allegations he said had been trumped up by Russia’s authorities to sideline him for political reasons.

“We’ll never allow… these people to seize and steal our country. Yes, brute force is on your side now. You can… put me in handcuffs. (But) that will not continue forever,” he said.

Read: Behind Alexei Navalny’s arrest in Moscow

His lawyers said Mr Navalny would appeal against the ruling to keep him in custody, the Interfax news agency reported.

Alexei Navalny’s lawyer Olga Mikhailova (left) and lawyer Vadim Prokhorov. Photo: Getty

After the ruling was handed down, Mr Navalny said to the judge: “Everything was clear to me before the start of the court hearing, thank you.”

Mr Navalny’s allies have called for new protests this weekend to demand his release.

The authorities have said any demonstrations will be illegal and broken up.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.