(CNN) — Alexei Navalny, a Russian dissident and critic of the Kremlin, will remain in prison after a trial in Russia Will refuse Partially his appeal to his prison sentence of two and a half years It was dictated to it earlier this month.
The appeals court reduced Navalny’s sentence to a month and a half. Specifically, when taking into account the time he spent under house arrest from December 2014 to February 2015.
Navalny has appealed the ruling in the Moscow Municipal Court on Saturday.
At the start of the process, the opponent asked the judge to allow the session to be videotaped.
However, the judge decided to prevent the journalists from recording the operation. Although he said there would be a “verdict recording”.
Navalny’s lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, asked the court to release her client immediately. As requested European Court of Human Rights.
The court upheld the original ruling on February 2, after ruling that while Navalny was in Germany he violated the parole requirements for the 2014 case. In that process, he received a suspended sentence of three and a half years in prison.
Then the suspension of the sentence was replaced by a prison sentence.
Navalny was initially arrested by the Russian state in January after arriving from Germany. In that country, the opponent spent five months recovering from the poisoning of Novichok, which he blamed on the Russian government. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Mikhailova argued that Navalny’s life and health are in danger while in detention.
The court found Navalny guilty of defamation
At a different hearing in the Babushinsky District Court on Saturday, Navalny was convicted of defaming a WWII veteran. An accusation rejected by the opponent for political reasons.
The case relates to the comments Navalny made last June on social media. He criticized a video tape broadcast by the state television channel RT, in which a number of prominent personalities expressed their support for the controversial changes to the Russian constitution. Among these people was 94-year-old veteran warrior Ignat Artemenko. He accused Navalny of defaming the ancient warrior.
The constitutional changes, backed by a July 1 referendum, paved the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain in office until 2036, despite having ruled the country for two decades.
“Navalny learned with certainty that the information released by her was false and defamed,” Judge Vera Akimova said on Saturday.
In December 2020, the defamation penalty was amended to include a possible prison sentence. But at the time of Navalny’s alleged crime, the perpetrators could only be fined up to 1 million rubles (about $ 13,300 USD) or performing community service.
Navalny’s legal team, Vadim Kopzev and Olga Mikhailova, indicated that they will appeal the verdict for defamation.
The Navalny case sparked mass protests across Russia and condemnations from Western leaders.