Thousands are expected to take to the streets across Russia on January 31 for a second weekend in a row to demand the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexsei Navalny amid a crackdown on his supporters.
Russian authorities are bracing for the protests, with police issuing warnings that participants in the “illegal” rallies will face criminal charges for violating coronavirus restrictions. Moscow police have said they will close down much of central Moscow from iconic Red Square to Lubyanka Square, including seven subway stations in the area.
A week earlier, almost 4,000 were detained in demonstrations in Moscow and more than 110 other cities nationwide in some of the largest anti-government rallies in years to demand that the Kremlin free Navalny from detention.
The calls for Navalny’s freedom have reverberated around the world, with the European Union, United States, and others demanding his immediate release.
The 44-year-old anti-corruption crusader was jailed on January 17 when he returned from Germany where he had been recovering from a nerve agent poisoning he and supporters say was ordered by the Kremlin. A hearing at a police station on January 18 ordered Navalny to remain in jail for 30 days for violating the terms of a suspended jail sentence, which he denies.
Navalny appealed the detention in court on January 28 by video link from jail, railing against what he called absurd allegations trumped up by authorities to sideline him for political reasons.
“Putin is afraid of competition, so in the summer he tried to kill his main political rival, and now he wants to put him in jail. Putin is afraid of Navalny, because his ideas are aimed at improving the lives of Russians and fighting corruption,” a statement on Navalny’s website said ahead of the rallies.
Even behind bars, Navalny has proven to be President Vladimir Putin’s most persistent and vocal critic.
A day after his arrest, Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) released a nearly two-hour video investigation claiming that wealthy Russians had spent some $1.3 billion on a palatial estate for Putin on the Black Sea coast.
The group’s video, with images and apparent design plans of the lavish property, has been viewed more than 100 million times.
With last weekend’s protests some of the biggest the country has seen in years, Russian authorities increased their targeting of Navalny supporters this week to try and limit their ability to mobilize.
On January 29, a Moscow court placed Oleg Navalny, Aleksei’s brother, Lyubov Sobol, a lawyer of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), and Oleg Stepanov, the coordinator of Navalny’s Moscow headquarters, under house arrest until March 23.
A member of the Pussy Riot protest group, Maria Alyokhina, and the head of the Alliance of Doctors trade union, Anastasia Vaislyeva, were also ordered under house arrest for two months.
All were detained and charged with violating restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic by calling for mass protests.
Russian investigators on January 28 also said they had opened a criminal case against Leonid Volkov, a close Navalny ally, for allegedly urging teenagers to take part in the protests.
Earlier in the week, masked police carried out searches at the homes of Navalny supporters and other properties linked to him, detaining several people. One raid targeted an apartment rented by Navalny’s wife, Yulia.
The Kremlin has dismissed extensive evidence that Federal Security Service (FSB) agents poisoned Navalny and rejected calls for his release. It also said Putin has no connection to the Black Sea palace.
On January 30, Arkady Rotenberg, a childhood Putin friend who co-owns a sprawling construction company with his brother and who has been under Western sanctions for the past five years, said he owns the lavish Black Sea mansion.
He said he acquired it “several years ago,” without offering specifics. Rotenberg did not appear to provide any evidence of ownership.
Police arrested Navalny upon his arrival from Germany in connection with accusations from Russia’s prison service that he broke the terms of a suspended sentence he had been serving on embezzlement charges in a case the European Court for Human Rights ruled was “arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable.”
A Russian court hearing on February 2 is set to consider converting that sentence into a 3 1/2 year prison term because of the alleged parole violation.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on January 27 that the United States was “deeply concerned” about Navalny and was considering actions in response to his detention in Russia.
Blinken said at his first press briefing after being sworn in that the Biden administration was reviewing how to respond to actions by Russia, including the alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack on Navalny.
“We have a deep concern for Mr. Navalny’s safety and security and the larger point is that his voice is the voice of many, many, many Russians and it should be heard, not muzzled,” said Blinken, adding that he was not ruling out any specific actions the United States might take in response.
The European Union is also mulling a raft of measures if Navalny is not released, including more sanctions on Russia.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Current Time, AP, AFP, and Reuters
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
