MOSCOW – A Russian court on Saturday paved the way for the possible transfer of opposition leader Alexei A. Navalny to the country’s penal colony system, the last step of the authorities to silence the man who is the country’s most outspoken critic of President Vladimir became V. Putin.
The court heard the last possible appeal of Mr. Navalny was rejected before such a transfer, but it remains unclear whether he will leave his cell in a high-security prison in Moscow. He could be detained there for further court appearances on other pending legal cases.
Mr. Navalny was detained in January when he returned from Germany, where he was treated last year for an almost deadly nerve agent poisoning – an act he and Western governments blame the Kremlin for. He returned despite knowing that his return home would almost certainly land him in jail, a challenge that led to massive street protests in support of him.
The verdict, which was expected, confirms the sentence of mr. Navalny faces more than two years in prison and puts Russia on a collision course with Western countries, which could impose additional sanctions on Moscow. The European Court of Human Rights, whose jurisdiction is recognized by Russia, ruled on Tuesday that Navalny should be released from prison immediately.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry S. Peskov dismissed the claim, calling the Strasbourg court ruling “a serious attempt to intervene in Russia’s internal judicial affairs.”
In his last argument in court on Saturday, Mr. Navalny quoted from the Bible and said that prosecutors, the judge and other government officials should stop lying because the truth will sooner or later prevail. He also told his followers not to feel abandoned.
“Our system and our government are trying to convince people that they are alone,” he said.
On a question on Saturday or Mr. Navalny’s incarceration would make Russian political life too uniform, Mr. Peskov said that “there is enough pluralism on the Russian political scene” and that “the Kremlin has many opponents”.
In the past month, the allies of Mr. Navalny organized two nationwide protest marches in support of tens of thousands on the streets. Police have arrested thousands.
The poisoning, the sentencing and the suppression of protesters all point to a pivot by Mr. Putin for strict domestic policy. Mr. Navalny had previously been imprisoned, but only for a short time in Moscow, and he had never been sent to a penal colony.
Under the Russian criminal justice system, transporting a prisoner to the penal colonies is a lengthy process of traveling on a specialized train carriage. It could start at any stage after a court dismisses the first appeal of the sentence, which happened on Saturday.
The journey can take weeks, with stops at transfer prisons, during which prisoners are usually not allowed to contact lawyers or family members. Their destination sometimes remains unknown until they arrive.
Mr. Navalny can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that his demand for his release is not granted. Although the court cannot legally force Russia to abide by its ruling, the dispute to the Council of Europe could escalate. It could also lead to the expulsion or withdrawal of Russia from the group.
That would be a significant offense. Russia joined the Council in 1996 and put an end to the Cold War Division of Europe on human rights issues.
Andrew E. Kramer contribution made.