Russia rejects Navalny's appeal against 19-year imprisonment on extremism charges

Russia on Tuesday (Sep 26) rejected Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's appeal againsta court decision to imprison him for 19 years on extremism charges. He was ordered to be kept in a in a maximum-security prison.

The First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction ruled "to uphold the decision" taken by Moscow City Court last month, announced judge Viktor Rogov.

For the last decade, Navalny has been the loudest opposition voice in Russia and had organised huge anti-government rallies before he was imprisoned in 2021 on charges of fraud, which his allies at home and abroad called politically motivated.

Last month, Navalny was handed a 19-year jail term by a court in his prison near Moscow after he was accused of having created an organisation which has undermined public security by carrying out "extremist activities".

The 47-year-old had set up a network of political offices throughout the country as well as a corruption watchdog that made credible graft allegations against political leaders.

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In 2021, he was imprisoned after arriving in Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering after getting poisoned for which he had blamed the Kremlin.

"You are being forced to surrender your Russia without a fight to a gang of traitors, thieves and scoundrels who have seized power. Don't lose the will to resist," said Navalny, in a statement of the ruling.

Navalny's solitary confinement

Navalny, who has claimed to be facing multiple health complications and was on a weeks-long hunger strike, has been communicating with the outside world via his lawyers.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Navalny repeatedly spoke out against the military campaign.

Thousands of people have been detained by Russia, including high-profile political activists, for speaking against the Ukrainian conflict and highlighting alleged atrocities carried out by the Russian military.

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Russian authorities have locked up Navalny in the maximum security IK-6 penal colony, around 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow.

However, the court also ruled to send Navalny to a "special regime" colony in August. This colony has a maximum security facility and has been designed especially for dangerous criminals. It is highly likely to cut him off from the outside world.

There are around 40 prisons across Russia, many are located in remote and isolated regions. Usually, Navalny appears at court hearings through grainy video connections in prison uniforms. '

As per his allies, Navalny's health has suffered in recent months during solitary confinement. Before the appeal, prison wardens had kept Navalny in a detention cell for the 20th time, his team said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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