The Russian Prosecution requested that the suspension of a sentence against Alexei Navalny be revoked and him detained for years

A Russian public prosecutor has spoken out in favor of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday risk a prison sentence of two to three years, within the framework of one of several causes he faces in Russia and which he assures is fabricated to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin.

The request of the Prosecution takes place one day before the hearing in which the fate of the case will be determined, and a day after thousands of people demonstrating in favor of Navalny in several cities across the country they were repressed by the Russian security forces, and many of them were arrested.

The Prosecution said in a statement that it supported the request for the imprisonment of the Russian Prison Services (FSIN) as “legal and justified.” The FSIN wants to revoke the suspension of the sentence of the Kremlin’s main defamer for violating his judicial oversight in a case dating back to 2014 in which he is accused of “fraud”.

This statement reflects the authorities’ determination against Navalny, despite the demonstrations organized for the second consecutive weekend in more than 100 cities in Russia on Sunday to demand his release.

According to the Russian NGO OVD-Info, 5,611 people in Russia were arrested on Sunday during the demonstrations. He assured it is a record in the country’s modern history.

More than 1,800 people were arrested in Moscow, where protesters and police officers played cat and mouse all day long, to the point that the city center – including the metro service – was blocked.

In Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, more than 1,300 people were arrestedadded the NGO, which specializes in following the demonstrations.

For his part, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, considered this repression justified by the participation of many agitators and provocateurs, more or less aggressive towards the forces of the order ”.

An anti-corruption militant and main adversary of the Kremlin, Navalny has been imprisoned since January 17, when he returned from Germany, where he spent five months after poisoning Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The reason for his arrest, according to authorities, was the violation of the terms of a sentence for “fraud” of up to three and a half years, with the sentence suspended in 2014, which can now be converted into a final sentence. They accuse him of it Not regularly contacting authorities in a poison-induced coma, and then during his recovery in Germany.

Navalni could be sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Tuesday for serving part of his sentence under house arrest. His supporters called a meeting in court.

International condemnation

Navalny, 44, has been the subject of multiple legal proceedings. He will appear in court on Friday for “defamation” of a war veteran. He is also being investigated for fraud, a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.

At the same time, several of its allies and associates are under house arrest or have been the subject of lawsuits in recent weeks.

Some They could be convicted of violating anti-coronavirus “sanitary standards” in organizing the demonstrations, and others for inducing minors to participate in prohibited meetings..

Navalni’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, was fined 20,000 rubles (about $ 260) Monday for participating in Sunday’s demonstration in Moscow, where she was arrested.

In the capital, the protesters initially wanted to gather in front of the special services headquarters (FSB), but the authorities cordoned off the city center, forcing thousands of protesters to migrate north in an attempt to reach the prison where Navalni is being held.

Police responded with mass arrests and ruthless use of force. The international condemnations of this repression were unanimous.

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blink, criticized the repression through the “continued use of brutal tactics” and the president Joe Biden He said he spoke about Navalny in a conversation with Putin last week. The head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, also condemned “the mass arrests”.

Borrell wants to meet Navalny during his visit to Moscow, which will take place between February 4 and 6, his spokesman said on Monday. On Monday, France urged Germany to abandon the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Russia in response to the case.

“We have always said that we had serious doubts about this project in this context,” said French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune.

But German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz defended the project on Monday, pointing out that Berlin had not changed “its position” on the matter.

More on this topic:

The EU condemned the mass arrests during the demonstrations in support of Navalny in Russia

Navalny’s allies call for more sanctions against the West: “Putin and his associates ensured that election confirmation and poisoning were translated into national policy”