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Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny could potentially be handed a 13-year prison sentence and a more than $10,000 fine as he faces charges of fraud and contempt of court.
The critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has decried the allegations as a political move to put him in jail for a long time, is already carrying out a 2 1/2 year sentence in a penal colony. The prosecution asked for the 13-year sentence and a fine of 1.2 million rubles (roughly $10,700) during closing arguments Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
Russia's legal and political battle with Navalny has been going on for years, but it wasn't until January 2021 that he was arrested and later imprisoned for the shorter sentence over parole violations from an earlier fraud case. When he was arrested, he had just returned to Russia from Germany where he said he was recovering from poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. Russia has denied the allegations, according to the AP.
A swift crackdown on both Navalny and his associates followed the arrest, driving some of his allies to leave Russia to avert criminal charges. Navalny and some associates were also added last month to a state registry for terrorists and extremists.
The opposition leader's current court battle centers on allegations from the Russian prosecution that he embezzled money his foundation raised and insulted a judge in an earlier trial.
Navalny ally Leonid Volkov wrote on Facebook Tuesday that Russian authorities are seeking a "life sentence," meaning that they allegedly want Navalny to either be in prison until the end of Putin's life or his own.
The current fraud and contempt of court case is one of several criminal cases opened against Navalny, so the requested 13-year sentence could potentially not be the last, the AP reported.
Even while imprisoned, Navalny has continued to speak out against Putin and issues like corruption. He has also been a vocal critic of the Russia-Ukraine war and recently called on Russian civilians to organize anti-war protests.
He commented on the prosecution's request for a 13-year sentence in a Twitter thread Tuesday afternoon.
"If this term is the price for my human right to say what I consider necessary, and the civil right to fight for a better future for Russia, then they can ask for even 113 years. I will not retract my words or my actions," he tweeted.
"Don't worry about me. I am completely ok and I only worry because others worry about me," Navalny added.
It was not immediately clear if the potential 13-year sentence would be in addition to the 2 1/2 years Navalny is currently serving or factor the smaller sentence in as part of it.
Update 03/15/22, 3:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
Update 03/15/22, 2:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.
About the writer
Zoe Strozewski is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and global politics. Zoe ... Read more