‘He broke the law 60 times’ Navalny’s day in court, as told by Russian state television networks
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.
Summary by Alexander Baklanov
Translation by Eilish Hart