Russia’s most prominent opposition leader has lost his appeal against a 19-year prison term that was added to his existing sentence last month, a Moscow court judge said. The court ruled “to uphold the decision” by Moscow City Court against Alexey Navalny after a hearing on Tuesday......
Defendant Alexey Navalny took part by video link wearing a black prison uniform [Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters] Russia’s most prominent opposition leader has lost his appeal against a 19-year prison term that was added to his existing sentence last month, a Moscow court judge said. The court ruled “to uphold the decision” by Moscow City Court against Alexey Navalny after a hearing on Tuesday. The proceedings were closed to the media apart from the reading of the verdict, despite protests from his lawyers. The defendant took part by video link wearing a black prison uniform. Navalny, 47, is by far the best-known figure in Russia’s splintered opposition, with supporters casting him as a Nelson Mandela-style figure who will one day be freed from jail to lead the country. His political movement has been outlawed and its key figures have been jailed or fled abroad as part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent that has intensified since Putin sent his troops into Ukra...