Putin ensures that his opponent Navalni does not see the light for decades to come

Alexéi Navalni, leader of the Russian opposition and number one enemy of President Vladimir Putin, will not see the light of day until 2050. This Friday a new trial was held in which the Russian Justice has sentenced the Russian opposition leader to another 19 years in prison for extremism, after denouncing corruption in the upper echelons of Russian power.

In a quick trial, the judge of the Moscow Urban Court has handed down a sentence against Navalni in just a few minutes. The sentence has taken place inside the prison where he is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud.

In contrast, the Russian leader, who would have ordered his poisoning in 2020, according to Navalni himself, has attended the meeting of the Russian Security Council. He watches over internal stability, supposedly threatened by the supposed fifth column of the opposition.

He asks his supporters to “resist”

After the sentence, on the social network X (formerly Twitter), he has asked his supporters to resist against the Kremlin. Likewise, he has also stated that this sentence is not only his, but will have a negative impact on the entire Russian society. “You, not me, are being scared and deprived of the will to resist.”

Society is being forced “to surrender their country, Russia, without a fight to a gang of traitors, thieves and scoundrels who have seized power.”. “Putin must not achieve his goal. Do not lose the will to resist,” he asserted.

For now, his supporters have called a global protest campaign: “Putin, murderer”. This will take place on August 20, thus coinciding with the third anniversary of the poisoning of its leader. “Fear, violence, murder, that's what has sustained the Putin regime for 20 years. Putin, murderer. Let's shout it as loud as possible,” the ad reads.

The US charges against his sentence

The United States Department of State has expressed this Friday its rejection and disapproval of the sentence received by the Russian opponent. “It's an unfair conclusion to an unfair trial.”

“By conducting this latest trial in secret and limiting the access of his lawyers to the alleged evidence, the Russian authorities once again illustrate both the baselessness of his case and the lack of due process for those who dare to criticize the regime”, they have denounced.

“We will closely follow their cases and advocate for the release of all those unjustly detained.. We once again join Navalni's family, friends and supporters around the world in calling for his immediate release and an end to the continued repression of independent voices in Russia.”

Special regime in prison

The opponent, who is currently 47 years old, will serve this sentence imposed in a prison with a special regime. This is where recidivist prisoners or those who have been sentenced to life imprisonment are held.. As the local press has clarified, he could be transferred to a penitentiary without access to visits or correspondence.

At the hearing held this Friday in the Vladimir region, 200 kilometers from the country's capital, Navalni appeared smiling. However, the prison prevented the entry of his parents and journalists, who had to follow the hearing on television.

As he had foreseen, he would receive a “Stalinist” sentence of 18 years, something that has almost been fulfilled. However, this sentence could be extended, as he still has to be tried by a military court for terrorism.. According to his forecasts, this could lead to another 10 years in prison.

As a consequence, and for the moment, he will not be released while Vladimir Putin remains in power.. This, probably, will be presented to the elections that will take place next 2024, according to the parliamentary opposition.

“Nineteen years of special regime. The number doesn't matter.. I fully understand, like many political prisoners, that I am serving a life sentence,” Navalni wrote on his Telegram channel.

Denunciations of Kremlin corruption

Since entering prison, the opponent has condemned the “criminal war” launched by Russia against Ukraine. As a consequence, he accused the Kremlin leader of sending thousands of Russian civilians “to the slaughterhouse”.. However, this is not the reason for his conviction.

The opponent, whose name and surnames the Russian leader refuses to pronounce, is accused of creating an extremist organization. This incrimination corresponds to the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK), which began in 2011 and was outlawed two years ago.

This group denounced the illegal appropriation of capital by high-ranking officials, including Putin, whom he accused in 2021 of having a luxurious palace on the shores of the Black Sea.. However, he is not the only defendant, as an investigation into the fortune of the Prime Minister, Dmitri Medvedev, the Attorney General or other charges, including directors of state banks, have also been published.

Likewise, he was also sentenced for financing and urging extremist activities, as well as for creating an organization that violated the rights of citizens.