Kremlin-critic Alexei Navalny appears in court, faces extremism charges

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Monday (June 19) appeared before a Russian court and defended himself against new charges of extremism slapped against him. If convicted, Navalny's jail term could be extended by decades.

The hearing of the case took place at the IK-6 penal colony in Melekhovo, which is about 235 kilometres east of Moscow. Navalny is already serving 11 and a half year jail sentence here.

Navalny supporters are accusing Russian authorities of trying to silence him in prison so as to avoid his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin denies the charge.

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Journalists were not allowed inside the courtroom when the hearing took place. They were allowed to follow proceedings from a nearby room with audio that was barely intelligible

Navalny, looking thin with cropped hair and dressed in a black prison uniform, could be seen seated at a desk, leafing through papers and briefly conferring with one of his lawyers.

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Navalny stood up and spoke for about three minutes. He contested the authority of the judge.

"I believe that, taking into account the current circumstances, and of criminal law, you should withdraw," he said.

New charges against Navalny relate to six different articles of the Russian criminal code. These include inciting and financing extremist activity and forming an extremist organisation.

Navalny's campaign organisation has already been outlawed by Russian authorities as part of a crackdown on dissent. The crackdown took place well before the conflict in Ukraine started.

Last week, one of Navalny's regional campaign leaders was jailed for 7-1/2 years.

Crimes committed 'while already imprisoned'

In a tweet posted on his account by his supporters last month, Navalny responded with typical irony to the new charges.

"Well, Alexei, you're in some real trouble now ... The Prosecutor General's Office has officially provided me with 3,828 pages describing all the crimes I've committed while already imprisoned."

Navalny said that jail authorities did not allow him to read the material to know what exactly he was accused of. He said he was in solitary confinement and was allowed only a mug and one book.

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Navalny, 46, earned admiration from the disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a Soviet-era nerve agent.

The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he had been poisoned with such a toxin.

(With inputs from agencies)

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