ritain has demanded Russia releases Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after he was sentenced to a further 19 years’ imprisonment on charges he rejected as politically motivated.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday evening that Moscow’s “abuse” of the opposition leader shows a “complete disregard for even the most basic of human rights”.
Mr Navalny, who is already serving prison time in Russia, was handed 19 years more on Friday following a behind-closed-doors trial at the IK-6 penal colony east of Moscow.
Following the hearing Mr Cleverly tweeted: “Alexei @Navalny has been sentenced to an additional 19 years in a Russian prison.
“His abuse shows Russia’s complete disregard for even the most basic of human rights.
“Dissent cannot be silenced. The UK calls for his immediate release.”
He was tried on six separate criminal charges, including inciting and financing extremist activity and creating an extremist organisation.
Mr Navalny denied the charges, and warned ahead of the verdict he would be handed a “Stalinist” prison term to ward off other dissenters.
Appearing gaunt in court but displaying a defiant smile, the 47-year-old was convicted of extremism charges relating to his anti-corruption foundation.
The opposition leader is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court. He also was sentenced in 2021 to two and a half years in prison for a parole violation.
One of president Vladimir Putin’s loudest critics, his arrest in 2021 came after he returned to Moscow following a period of recuperation in Germany after being poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent.
He is being held at a maximum-security penal colony at Melekhovo and appeared in court last month, facing new allegations of creating an extremist organisation. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to 30 years.
In a ruling earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights found that Russia had “notably” failed to investigate Mr Navalny’s 2020 poisoning.
The court said Russia had failed “to explore the allegations of a possible political motive for the attempted murder, as well as possible involvement of state agents.”
