Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Friday, August 4, after he was convicted of founding and financing an extremist organization. Navalny has denied the charges.Navalny will serve his time in a “special regime colony” after he was found guilty of creating an extremist community and participating in it, financing extremist activities, organizing an extremist community, public calls for extremist activities, and involving minors in dangerous activities,
TASS reported.The former technical director of Navalny’s YouTube channel, Daniel Kholodny, was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony for “financing extremist activities using his official position and participating in an extremist community,”
TASS reported.Navalny was already serving a
nine-year prison term for fraud, contempt of court, and parole violations.Following his conviction, a statement to Navalny’s Twitter/X account read, “You, not me, are being frightened and deprived of the will to resist. You are being forced to surrender your country of Russia without a fight to the gang of traitors, thieves, and scoundrels who have seized power. Putin must not achieve his goal. Do not lose the will to resist.”This video shows Navalny, second from the left, as he appeared in court on Friday. Credit: SOTAvision via Storyful