Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny jailed five years

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to five years in jail for theft and embezzlement.

Judge Sergei Blinov said the anti-corruption campaigner had defrauded a timber firm.

Navalny has always insisted the trial was politically motivated, due to his opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
...
Navalny had recently said he would like to stand for president. He has already registered his candidature for Moscow mayor.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23352688

[toby jo]

1. Hate to see this, never cared for Putin. Would like to think protests will help with the appeal,

but, hell, they don't even do a hell of alot over here.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Alexei Navalny: Russian jail term is condemned

The conviction and jailing of Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny has led to widespread criticism.

Navalny was imprisoned for five years for embezzlement from a timber firm. He had denied the charges, saying the trial was politically motivated.

The EU said the verdict posed "serious questions" about Russian law, while the US said it was "deeply disappointed".

Amnesty International denounced what it said was "a parody of a prosecution and a parody of a trial".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23361736