'Putin Jeongjeok' Navalny Found Guilty of Embezzling Donations... Sentence Likely to Increase

Opposition activist Alexei Navalny, currently serving a sentence following a conviction on fraud charges
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] On the 22nd (local time), a Russian court found Vladimir Putin's political opponent Alexei Navalny guilty of embezzling donations, increasing Navalny's sentence.

According to major foreign media, the court ruled Navalny guilty of stealing assets from the foundation he established, committing fraud, and openly insulting the court.

Earlier, the Russian prosecution charged Navalny with embezzling more than $4.7 million in donations from the Anti-Corruption Foundation for personal use and insulting a judge in another trial, requesting the court to sentence him to 13 years in prison.

The court is expected to announce Navalny's sentence on the afternoon of the same day. In his final statement, Navalny said Russia's invasion of Ukraine would lead to "the collapse and division of the homeland," adding, "Opposing this war is now everyone's duty."

On the 15th, he posted on Instagram, "If a prison sentence is the price of my human rights to speak out, then I can be sentenced to 113 years," and "I will not give up my words and actions."

Navalny is currently serving a 2 years and 6 months sentence at Pokrov Prison, located 100 km east of Moscow, after his suspended sentence from 2014 for fraud was converted to a prison term. Although he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months, the period of detention was excluded. Navalny, who founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2011 and exposed corruption allegations against high-ranking Russian officials, suddenly collapsed on a plane in August 2020 due to poisoning symptoms, was transferred to Germany for treatment, and was arrested by Russian authorities immediately upon his return in January last year.

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