Kremlin criticized Navalny in court docket as EU official makes controversial journey to Russia

Navalny accused prosecutors of a “shameless” pursuit of “fabricated” situations and talked about he didn’t understand the latest allegations in opposition to him, which related to suggestions he made ultimate June on social media. He had criticized a video by state media channel RT by means of which quite a few people expressed assist for controversial modifications to the Russian construction. Veteran Ignat Artemenko, 94, was amongst them.

Borrell, the EU’s extreme marketing consultant for abroad affairs, was amongst loads of EU leaders to condemn Russian authorities for imprisoning Navalny and for detaining a whole bunch of folks that protested his treatment.

“If the EU is extreme about having a dialogue with Russia and by no means merely with a bunch of thugs spherical Putin, then Borrell ought to have made meeting with Navalny a pre-condition,” talked about Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russia-based opposition politician who has been poisoned twice up to now 5 years.

Speaking alongside Lavrov, Borrell talked about he had identified as on Russia to launch Navalny, who was sentenced to 2 years and eight months in jail, and to launch an investigation into his poisoning.

“Whereas we completely respect Russian sovereignty, and its private accountability relating to the achievement of its worldwide commitments, the European Union considers that factors related to the rule of regulation, human rights, civil society and political freedom are central to an ordinary future, every for the European Union and Russia, “Borrell talked about.

He added that relations between the European Union and Russia have, over the previous couple of years, “been marked by elementary variations and lack of perception.”

Lavrov in flip criticized sanctions on Moscow, saying that EU-Russia relations had gone by way of “robust situations attributable to unilateral and illegitimate restrictions that the EU has imposed beneath false pretenses.”

He talked about it was crucial that Russia and EU “confirmed the intent to assist channels of dialogue, notably on these factors the place we’ve diverging views.” And he warned that “the extra deterioration of relations is fraught with damaging penalties.”

Defamation declare

Navalny’s defamation trial had been attributable to resume on January 20 nonetheless was postponed after his arrest on the airport on January 17, moments after he returned to Moscow from Germany.

At first of the listening to, Navalny requested the court docket for half an hour to get acquainted with the case and confer collectively along with his attorneys. The court docket talked about he had had since August to get acquainted with the case, to which Navalny replied: “I had a complete lot of various stuff to do in August.”

Navalny continued to ridicule the approved course of and demand that the veteran, in his 90s, be allowed to take off his masks and lie down. The veteran appeared on the listening to by means of a video hyperlink from his home.

Requested by the prosecutor if he understood the prices, Navalny replied “No, I have no idea one thing about Artemenko, apart from that his household are selling him out.”

Navalny is accused of breaking Russia’s libel regulation in his social media suggestions ultimate June on the RT video, which moreover featured excellent Russian cultural and sporting figures. The modifications to the construction, which had been backed in July 1 referendum, paved the way in which in which for Putin, who has dominated for twenty years, to keep president until 2036.

In December, the penalty for defamation was modified to incorporate potential jail time. Nonetheless on the time of the alleged offense, these found accountable would possibly solely be fined as a lot as a million rubles (about $ 13,300) or ordered to maintain out neighborhood service.

Speaking Friday, Navalny accused Russian courts of being “corrupt” and claimed the case in opposition to him had been launched not by investigators nonetheless by “the PR people of Russia As we converse (RT).”

“Cases are always fabricated in opposition to me, nonetheless the authorities have points when situations go to court docket,” he talked about. “It’s clear to all people there that the truth is on my side.”

Navalny was sentenced to jail on Tuesday for failing to report again to parole officers following his poisoning ultimate summer season and thereby breaching the phrases of a suspended sentence for embezzlement in a 2014 case. The European Court docket of Human Rights has glad that that case was politically motivated.