Jailed Putin Critic Navalny Says He’s Facing New Criminal Charges
He is already serving sentences totaling over 30 years.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Friday said that he’s been informed that he’s facing new criminal charges as he serves his decades-long imprisonment in a Russian penal colony.
The opposition activist, 47, has already been sentenced to more than 30 years following convictions for offenses including extremism, which he has consistently denied. He has also spent extended periods in solitary confinement over the past two years for a variety of alleged infringements.
Comments from Navalny posted by his associates Friday on Telegram claim that he is now facing a new prosecution under Article 214 of Russia’s penal code, which pertains to vandalism. No further details were provided about his alleged crime. “I have no idea what article 214 is, and there’s nowhere to look. You’ll know before I do,” Navalny said in the post, according to a Reuters translation.
“They really do initiate a new criminal case against me every three months. Rarely does an inmate confined to a solitary cell for over a year have such a vibrant social and political existence.”
The new charges come four months after Navalny was convicted of new extremist activity charges. He was handed another 19 years in addition to the 11-and-a-half years he was already serving. Navalny denied the allegations and claimed the charges were politically motivated.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Navalny has long accused the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to silence him. In 2020, Navalny was poisoned in Siberia with what Western laboratories determined to be a nerve agent. After recovering in Germany from the near-fatal attack, Navalny voluntarily returned to Russia in 2021 and was immediately detained upon arrival.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.