Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny loses appeal against 9-year jail term

Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, lost an appeal to dismiss a nine-year jail term in Russia. The appeal was struck down by the Moscow City Court on Tuesday.

The Moscow City Court said that it will “leave the sentence without changes”, a decision Navalny’s allies said was politically motivated. 

Also Read: Protest, poisoning and prison: The story of Putin critic Alexei Navalny 

The decision means that the Kremlin critic will be transferred to a strict regime prison colony to serve out his term, after he was found guilty in March of embezzlement and contempt of court, AFP reported.

Navalny, 45, was sentenced to nine years in jail in March after he was found guilty of fraud and contempt of court by Russia’s judicial authorities. The nine-year jail time was added to his previous sentence. Alexei Navalny denies all charges against him.

Navalny has continued to speak out against Putin, even when he is behind bars. He recently slammed the Russian President for his actions in Ukraine and proposed a series of sanctions that the west could take up.

The trend continued at the Moscow City Court on Tuesday. “This is a stupid war which your Putin started. This war was built on lies,” he said as the judge attempted to interrupt.

Also Read: Russian attack on Ukraine ‘planned by crazy old men,’ says Putin critic Alexei Navalny

Navalny added, “One madman has got his claws into Ukraine and I do not know what he wants to do with it – this crazy thief”, according to Reuters.

Navalny, who was once the top opposition leader, has been jailed since his 2021 return to Russia after being poisoned and is considered among Putin’s most powerful critics. Held in prison in Russia, Navalny is visited by his lawyers daily on weekdays and they are able to print out internet stories for him to read the latest developments. He is able to convey what he’s thinking, his legal team said.