Alexei Navalny may not be a well known name, but he is fighting an uphill battle. He aims not just to break Putin’s monopoly but even expose govt corruption. In light of his arrest as well as the hue and cry regarding this, we shall look into this issue as well.
THE ARREST OF NAVALNY
On Monday, court ordered the arrest and jailing of Alexei Navalny for 30 days. This was a makeshift court, created inside a police station on the outskirts of Moscow. This led to protests from his followers firstly because this was a hastily constructed court, most probably planned for Navalny’s arrest. Secondly, they consider this to be a follow up attempt by the government after the nerve gas attempt on him. The government has ordered for Navalny’s shift to Moscow’s Matrosskaya Tishina prison. This is notorious for the pre-trial custodial death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
In their statement, Russian FSIN Prison says that he violated the terms of a 2014 sentence; a sentence given on fraud charges. Navalny on the other hand, claims that the sessions cannot take place.
I’ve seen a lot of mockery of justice, but the old man in the bunker (Putin) is so afraid that they have blatantly torn up and thrown away.
Alexei Navalny
REACTION OUTPOUR
Alexei Navalny’s supporters took to the street to protest the hastily organized court order. Navalny’s right-hand man LEONID VOLKOV has announced a non-cooperation with the covid restrictions. He and his supporters have decided to combat the multiplying attacks on the opposition. Volkov even went on to claim that Putin tried to poison Navalny in the form of the nerve gas attack.
Alexei Navalny has recieved his fair amount of support from around the world as well. The UN Human Rights Office has condemned this arrest that they labelled as unlawful. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in their statement has called for the Russian Government to respect his “right to legal due process”. Following this, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have requested European Union foreign ministers to discuss sanctions against Russia over its handling of the case.
Many consider this to be another attempt by the government to curtail opposition voives. Even before i.e. in the summer of 2019, Navalny and other members of the Kremlin were barred from balloting in the local elections. The Kremlin on the other hand has called these protests to be troubling. They have also made a statement regarding the sanctions by western nations, saying that it was a domestic matter and thus of no concern for them.