Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail yesterday. Navalny was arrested in January for alleged probation violations after returning from Germany (where he was recovering after being poisoned by a nerve agent last August). Critics have suggested that the charges (which stemmed from a 2014 embezzlement charge) were politically motivated, and his arrest prompted tens of thousands of protesters to gather across Russia in recent weeks.
Extra: The sentencing was also met with widespread international condemnation, including a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that called for the Russian government to “immediately and unconditionally” release Navalny along with the “hundreds of other Russian citizens wrongfully detained in recent weeks.”
The New Paper
This story is from the February 3, 2021 edition of The New Paper – a clear, concise daily briefing that makes fact-first news easy to consume. Try it today.
