(Moscow) Russian justice on Tuesday rejected opponent Alexeï Navalny’s appeal against his sentence to 19 years in prison for “extremism”, a verdict which should send him to a penal colony with even harsher conditions.
The appeal court decided “to leave Mr. Navalny’s judgment at first instance unchanged,” declared judge Viktor Rogov, AFP journalists noted.
The Kremlin’s number one critic appeared earlier in the day via video link from prison.
Mr. Navalny, who was already imprisoned for “fraud” before this new conviction, denounces these judgments as political revenge for his long-standing fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the corruption of the elites and his criticism of the Russian assault against Ukraine.
The 47-year-old anti-corruption activist had few illusions about the outcome of this appeal, believing that the length of his imprisonment will be “measured by the length of his life or the lifespan of this regime”.
Detained in the IK-6 penal colony in Melekhovo, 250 kilometers east of Moscow, where he is regularly sent to a disciplinary cell, Mr. Navalny should therefore see his detention conditions worsen.
He will have to serve his new sentence in one of the Russian “special regime” colonies, establishments in the Russian prison system usually reserved for lifers and the most dangerous criminals.
Following the announcement of the rejection of the appeal, one of his lawyers, Olga Mikhaïlova, deplored to the AFP that her client “could be sent at any time” to one of these establishments, once the decision registered with the courts.
Since his arrest in January 2021, Mr. Navalny communicates mainly via messages sent to his lawyers, continuing with humor to denounce Kremlin policy and the offensive in Ukraine. In August, he called on Russians to “resist” the “band of traitors, thieves and scoundrels who have seized power.”
In a colony with a “special regime”, however, his speaking engagements are likely to be much rarer, with visits being much more limited.
Soviet Gulag
There are around 40 such prisons in Russia, often located in very remote locations and operating under an administration that has seen little reform since the Soviet gulag, according to human rights activists.
The time Mr. Navalny spent behind bars has already had consequences on his health: the charismatic activist, once radiant, today appears emaciated and aged.
He narrowly escaped death when he was poisoned in August 2020, spending several months convalescing in Germany. He was arrested upon his return to Russia in 2021.
His health has further deteriorated in recent months, during which he has spent multiple stays in solitary confinement. Before his appeal was considered, he was sent there for the 20e times, according to his team.
“Yesterday, at 5 p.m., I was released from the isolation cell. Today, at 8 a.m., I was sent back there. Four days,” Mr. Navalny wrote through his team on social media last week.
“Why for such a short period of time? Because in exactly four days, I have an appeal hearing,” he quipped.
Most of Alexei Navalny’s allies have been forced into exile in recent years and several have been thrown in prison, sentenced to heavy sentences.
Western countries called for the immediate release of the opponent.