MOSCOW (AP) – A Russian court on Thursday rejected the appeal of opposition leader Alexei Navalny over his arrest, while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies later that tens of thousands of people could roam the streets of more than 100 Russian cities last weekend demanding their freedom.
With the court appearance via a video link from prison, Navalny denounced criminal proceedings against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.
“It will not manage to scare tens of millions of people who have been robbed by this government,” he said. “Yes, now you have the power to handcuff me, but it won’t last forever.”
Navalny, 44, the best-known critic of President Vladimir Putin’s government, was arrested on January 17 on his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from the Kremlin-induced nervousness poisoning. Russian authorities have denied the allegations.
Navalny was arrested and jailed for 30 days at the request of the Russian prison service, which accused him of violating the parole conditions of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money laundering conviction he rejected as a policy. He is also currently facing charges in two separate criminal investigations.
Before the Moscow region court rejected the appeal of his recent arrest, defense lawyers argued that while in rehabilitation in Germany, Navalny could not register with the authorities as required by the parole conditions. His lawyers also accused him of repeatedly violating Navalny’s rights during his arrest.
Navalny described his imprisonment after a previous court hearing quickly held at a police station as a mockery of justice.
“It was a demonstrative illegality intended to frighten me and everyone else,” he told the Moscow court.
Navalny fans are organizing another round of rallies for Sunday. On Wednesday, police searched Navalny’s apartment, a rental accommodation where his wife, Yulia, and the residences of several of his associates and supporters have been.
Navalny’s brother Oleg Navalny, his main ally, Lyubov Sobol, Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva of the Alliance of Physicians with the support of Navalny and Maria Alyokhina of the punk collective Pussy Riot were detained for 48 hours as part of a criminal investigation into alleged coronavirus violations. regulations during last Saturday’s protests.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the searches and arrests were a legitimate part of police efforts to investigate the alleged rapes during the events.
“Police agencies are doing their job,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “There were numerous violations of Russian laws and police agencies working.”
Moscow police issued a warning to the public on Thursday not to join the protests on Sunday, warning that officers would act decisively to disperse the unapproved rallies and bring participants to justice.
Also Thursday, Russian prosecutors issued warnings on Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social media, demanding that they block calls for more protests.
“The state does not want social media to become a platform to promote illegal actions,” Peskov said.
Asked whether a refusal to remove such content could motivate Russian authorities to block the platforms, Peskov said it would be up to the relevant government agencies to consider an answer.
“All the pros and cons will be weighed and, if necessary, the measures provided by law will be taken,” he said.
Earlier this week, Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said he would fine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian social networks for not blocking calls to minors to join. se at Saturday’s protests.
Facebook, Google and TikTok have not responded to requests for comment on the actions of the Russian authorities. Twitter declined to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal investigation against Navalny’s top strategist, Leonid Volkov, accusing him of encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies. Volkov, who is currently staying abroad, turned down the charges.
“The streets must speak now. There is nothing left, “tweeted Volkov after rejecting Navalny’s appeal, which repeated the call for the Russians to come into force on Sunday.
In a challenge to Putin two days after Navalny’s arrest, his organization published an extensive video report on a coastal complex next to the president’s alleged construction. It has been seen more than 98 million times, causing even more discontent.
Demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release took place last Saturday in more than 100 cities across the country, a strong demonstration of growing anger against the Kremlin. About 4,000 people were reportedly detained in these protests and some received fines and prison sentences.
Speaking during Thursday’s court hearing, Navalny thanked his supporters and said, “They are the last barrier preventing our country from slipping into degradation.”
Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on 20 August. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a hospital in Berlin two days later. Laboratories in Germany, France, and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Russian authorities have refused to open a full-fledged criminal investigation, alleging a lack of evidence indicating that Navalny was poisoned.
Navalny’s arrest and harsh police actions in the protests have led to widespread criticism from the West and calls for his release.
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Associated Press business writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.