Moscow remand prison deems Alexey Navalny a flight risk
The Preventative Commission at the remand prison where Alexey Navalny is in custody has registered him a flight risk, the opposition politician wrote on Instagram on Thursday, February 18.
“Now I’m ‘liable to escape.’ Earlier I was driven around not just in a convoy, but [one] with special forces officers in helmets and [carrying] machine guns. Now they will probably [put me] in irons.”
Navalny attributed this development to ongoing pressure over his investigation into the billion-dollar luxury residence supposedly built for Russian President Vladimir Putin near the town of Gelendzhik on the Black Sea.
“I have only one explanation for what is happening. One grandpa living in a bunker [Navalny’s “nickname” for Putin] had a nightmare. Seemingly, I escaped from my ‘special cell,’ got myself to Gelendzhik, went into his palace, played with his cars there, smeared myself in mud from his warehouse, and then jumped into the aquadisco and danced [...] Grandpa woke up in horror, picked up the phone and demanded that preventive measures be taken to avoid the abuse of his shrines.”
On February 2, Moscow’s Simonovsky Court ruled that Navalny had violated the terms of his probation in the Yves Rocher case — in turn, the court revoked his probation and sentenced him to 3.5 years in prison. Pending an appellate ruling, Navalny will spend the next two years and eight months in prison due to time previously served under house arrest. Navalny’s appeal hearing is scheduled for Saturday, February 20.
On February 17, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) called on Russia to release Navalny from custody immediately. The Russian Justice Ministry responded to the ECHR’s decision by calling it “deliberately impracticable.”
The Yves Rocher case
The “Yves Rocher” case dates back to 2014, when Navalny and his brother Oleg were found guilty of embezzlement and laundering funds stolen from two Russian companies associated with the French cosmetics brand. Oleg Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and Alexey Navalny was given a 3.5-year probation sentence. The brothers pleaded not guilty, calling the case politically motivated.
“Putin’s Palace”
Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) published an investigation titled “Putin’s Palace” on January 19. The report maintains that a $1.35-billion luxury residence was built for Vladimir Putin outside of Gelendzhik. According to the FBK, the palace’s construction was financed through a corruption scheme linked to private and state-controlled companies run by members of Putin’s inner circle. The video version of the investigation has garnered more than 112 million views on YouTube.