As Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny appeared in court on Tuesday, February 2, the Russian state television networks “Perviy Kanal” and “Rossiya 1” were busy broadcasting their own version of the story behind today’s events. Here’s what they had to say about Navalny’s case and his trial, in a nutshell.
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) has asked for 3.5 years in prison for Alexey Navalny. How will his systemic violations of his probation end for him? At this moment, there’s a hearing on Navalny’s case at the Moscow City Court. The FSIN is asking to replace his suspended sentence with a real one — Navalny broke the law at least 60 times, even before he flew off to Germany for treatment. He has been a defendant in administrative cases nearly every year. At the same time, he flew abroad regularly — he traveled using donations from citizens, which is why the authorities launched a criminal case. The FSIN twice asked to replace his suspended sentence with a real one — and lost in court twice. The courts opted for leniency and for reprieve. But Navalny deliberately ignored the FSIN’s requests and left it no choice. There’s a reinforced police cordon around the court building. Some streets are blocked off and the police are working to preempt provocations. In court, Navalny is being supported by his wife Yulia — but not just her. Approximately 20 foreign diplomats also came to the hearing, which could be seen as pressure on the court.
The above summary is based on news segments aired earlier today on Perviy Kanal and Rossiya 1.
Translation by Eilish Hart
Navalny’s hearing
On Tuesday, February 2, the Simonovsky District Court is holding a hearing on Alexey Navalny’s case at the Moscow City Court building. The court is considering a complaint filed by Russia’s federal prison authorities, who are seeking to imprison Navalny under a reinstated 3.5 sentence for violating the terms of his probation in the Yves Rocher case.
Navalny’s poisoning
Alexey Navalny was on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow when he fell violently ill on August 20. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, where he was hospitalized in a coma; two days later he was transferred to Germany for treatment. On September 2, German officials confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with a substance from the Novichok group of nerve agents. These findings were later verified by experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Navalny was discharged from the hospital on September 23. Russia denies that there’s any evidence that Navalny poisoned.
What criminal case?
According to a criminal case launched in December 2020, Navalny embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars in donations made to his Anti-Corruption Foundation and other organizations. You can read more about the felony fraud charges against Navalny here.