Navalny sentenced to further 19 years in prison

Jailed Western-backed Russian political activist Alexey Navalny has been sentenced to a further 19 years behind bars. The news on the court ruling was broken by his associates on Friday afternoon.

The opposition figure was found guilty on multiple extremism-related charges, including creating an extremist group, calling for extremist actions, financing such activities and luring minors into them, as well as rehabilitating Nazi ideology.

The charges saw Navalny given a combined sentence of 19 years. The former Moscow protest leader has been incarcerated since 2021, serving a separate prison term after being convicted of fraud.

Navalny, who is 47, ended up in custody after making a high profile return from Germany, where he was recovering from an alleged poisoning. He was found in violation of terms of his suspended sentence over defrauding the Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics manufacturer Yves Rocher out of millions of rubles. At first suspended, the sentence was activated and he was sent to a penal colony for two years and eight months.

In early 2022, Navalny received a further nine years behind bars, after being found guilty of contempt of court and fraud. The charges were related to the activities of HIS Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), with the opposition figure accused of spending the donations raised by the non-profit for “personal needs” as well as to bankroll “extremist activities.”