The Moscow City Court moved the hearing on the case of extremism against Alexei Navalny to a closed session

Moscow City Court judge Andrey Suvorov decided to close the extremism case against politician Alexei Navalny from the public, Mediazona (recognized as a foreign foreign agent) reported, citing a correspondent in the broadcast room. The state prosecution asked to close the meeting to ensure security.

Case consider at field meetings in the strict regime colony No. 6 of the Vladimir Region, where Alexei Navalny is now being held. The parents of Alexei Navalny, who arrived at the colony, were not allowed into the courtroom. Journalists watched the process from the broadcast room until the meetings were closed.

The state prosecution filed a motion to close the process due to “some information” and “possible provocations” reported by the prison officer. In turn, the defense called the protection measures in a strict regime colony unprecedented, and fears of provocations unfounded.

The press secretary of the Moscow City Court Vadim Polezhaev, in a conversation with journalists, said that the reasons for closing the process would become known later. He also noted that he was also not allowed into the courtroom to take photos for the press service.

Alexei Navalny accuse in calls for extremism, the creation of an NGO that infringes on the rights of citizens, the financing of extremism, the creation of an extremist community, the involvement of minors in dangerous acts and the rehabilitation of Nazism. At the same time, the exact wording of the case against him is unknown. Mr Navalny faces up to 30 years in prison.

In 2021, Alexei Navalny was sent to a colony for 3.5 years in the Yves Rocher embezzlement case, for which he was originally on probation. The Moscow City Court changed the punishment from conditional to real at the request of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN). The department insisted that Mr. Navalny violated the terms of serving his sentence when he was treated at the Charité clinic in Berlin after being poisoned.

Therefore, the former technical director of the Navalny LIVE YouTube channel, Daniel Kholodny, is also involved in the case. He is accused under articles on participation in an extremist community (part 2 of article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and financing extremist activities using his official position (part 2 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He has been in jail since March 2022.

Olesya Pavlenko