MOSCOW (AP) – A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal of his arrest while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies after tens of thousands took to the streets in more than 100 Russian cities have been buzzing this past weekend.
Navalny appeared in court through a video link and announced the criminal proceedings against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.
“You will not succeed in scaring ten million people who have been robbed by the government,” he said. “Yes, you have the power to handcuff me now, but it’s not going to last forever.”
Navalny, 44, President Vladimir Putin’s best-known critic of the government, was arrested on January 17 when he returned from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from the poisoning of the Kremlin ‘ blame. Russian authorities have denied the allegations.
Navalny was arrested and jailed for 30 days at the request of the Russian prison service, which charged him with violating the probation conditions of his suspended sentence due to a 2014 guilty verdict rejected as politically motivated. He is also currently facing charges in two separate criminal investigations.
Before the Moscow regional court rejected the appeal of his recent arrest, defense lawyers argued that during rehabilitation in Germany, Navalny could not register with the authorities as required by the probation conditions. His lawyers also complained that Navalny’s rights to the right process were repeatedly violated during his arrest.
Navalny describes his jail sentence after an earlier court hearing that was quickly held at a police station as a mockery of justice.
“It was demonstrative lawlessness that scared me and everyone else,” he told a Moscow court.
Navalny’s supporters are arranging another round of rallies for Sunday. Police on Wednesday searched Navalny’s apartment, a rental home where his wife, Yulia, lived, and the homes of several of his associates and supporters.
Navalny’s brother, Oleg Navalny, his biggest ally, Lyubov Sobol, dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva of the Navalny-backed Alliance of Physicians and Maria Alyokhina of the Pussy Riot punk collective were detained for 48 hours as part of a criminal investigation into alleged coronavirus violations. regulations during last Saturday’s protests.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the searches and arrests were a legal part of the police’s efforts to investigate the alleged violations during the events.
“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job,” Peskov said during a conference with reporters. “There have been numerous violations of Russian law, and law enforcement agencies are at work.”
Police in Moscow on Thursday issued a notice to the public not to join the protests on Sunday, warning that officials would act decisively to distribute marches without sanctions and bring participants to justice.
Russian prosecutors also issued warnings to Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social networks on Thursday, demanding that they block calls for further protests.
“The state does not want social networks to become a platform to promote such illegal actions,” Peskov said.
Asked whether a refusal to remove such content could cause Russian authorities to block the platforms, Peskov said it should respond to government agencies.
“All pros and cons will be weighed and, if necessary, the measures envisaged by the law will be taken,” he said.
Earlier this week, Russian state watchdog Roskomnadzor said it would campaign on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian social networks for their failure to join calls on minors to join Saturday’s protest.
Facebook, Google and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment on the Russian authorities’ actions. Twitter on Thursday declined to comment to The Associated Press.
The Russian commission of inquiry also said on Thursday it had launched a criminal investigation into Navalny’s leading strategist, Leonid Volkov, and accused him of encouraging minors to take part in unauthorized rallies. Volkov, who currently lives abroad, dismissed the charges.
“The streets must speak now. There is nothing left, ”Volkov tweeted after Navalny’s appeal was rejected, reiterating the call on Russians to take effect on Sunday.
In a challenge to Putin two days after Navalny’s arrest, his organization released an extensive video report on a palace allegedly built for the president. It has been viewed more than 98 million times, causing further dissatisfaction.
Demonstrations calling for the release of Navalny took place last Saturday in more than 100 cities across the country, a strong sign of growing anger against the Kremlin. Nearly 4,000 people were detained during the protests and some imposed fines and jail time.
During Thursday’s court hearing, Navalny thanked his supporters and said: “This is the last obstacle that prevents our country from slipping into decline.”
Navalny fell into a coma on August 20 while on board a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, determined that he was exposed to Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.
Russian authorities have refused to launch a full-fledged criminal investigation, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.
Navalny’s arrest and the harsh police action during the protests drew widespread criticism from the West, calling for his release.
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Associated Press business writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.