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Alexei Navalny freed by Russian court but conviction for theft is upheld Alexei Navalny freed by Russian court but conviction for theft is upheld
(about 3 hours later)
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's conviction for theft has been upheld by an appeals court but his five-year jail sentence was suspended, allowing the prominent critic of Vladimir Putin to walk free.Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's conviction for theft has been upheld by an appeals court but his five-year jail sentence was suspended, allowing the prominent critic of Vladimir Putin to walk free.
However, the conviction will prevent Navalny, who emerged from a wave of street protests as the most prominent opposition leader, from seeking elected office for years. He has said he will appeal against the decision.However, the conviction will prevent Navalny, who emerged from a wave of street protests as the most prominent opposition leader, from seeking elected office for years. He has said he will appeal against the decision.
Navalny was convicted in July of organising the theft of 16m roubles (£310,000) from a timber firm in 2009. He had appealed against the verdict and sentence, contending the case against him was fabricated and politically motivated.
"It's clear for me that the authorities are trying by all means to hound me out of politics, coming up with some restrictions and fabricated cases," he said after embracing his wife following the ruling in the provincial city of Kirov."It's clear for me that the authorities are trying by all means to hound me out of politics, coming up with some restrictions and fabricated cases," he said after embracing his wife following the ruling in the provincial city of Kirov.
"One thing is for sure, they will not succeed in pushing me and my allies out of political life," said Navalny, who posted a strong second-place showing against a Putin ally in a Moscow mayoral election last month."One thing is for sure, they will not succeed in pushing me and my allies out of political life," said Navalny, who posted a strong second-place showing against a Putin ally in a Moscow mayoral election last month.
Navalny was convicted in July of organising the theft of 16m roubles (£310,000) from a timber firm in 2009. He had appealed against the verdict and sentence, contending the case against him was fabricated and politically motivated.
But he was unexpectedly freed from custody the following day after thousands protested in central Moscow, allowing him to continue his mayoral campaign.
Jailing Navalny would have increased the risk of a new wave of opposition protests against Putin and done further damage to his image in the west as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in February.Jailing Navalny would have increased the risk of a new wave of opposition protests against Putin and done further damage to his image in the west as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in February.
But Navalny and others suggested that Wednesday's ruling was carefully tailored by the Kremlin to avoid making him into what political analyst Liliya Shevtsova called "a Russian Mandela" while sidelining him from electoral politics.
"The court decision means political isolation," prominent opposition activist Ilya Yashin, said on Twitter.
Navalny argued during the hearing that the case against him was fabricated and politically motivated, and afterward suggested that the ruling was the result of careful calculations in the Kremlin.
"It's clear that the decision on suspending the sentence was taken not here but in Moscow," he said.
Putin denies exerting influence over the courts. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the president had nothing to do with the ruling. Yet many Russians suspect that decisions in high-profile cases are dictated by the Kremlin.
It was not immediately clear how long Navalny will be barred from elections.
The Constitutional Court ruled last week that lifetime bans for convicts are unconsitutional, but the law has not been amended and previously convicts had been prohibited from seeking elected office for at least the length of their sentences.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the judge said Navalny was sentenced to five years probation. His lawyer Olga Mikhailova said the terms would be served consecutively, indicating Navalny could be barred from elections for 10 years.
Even a five-year ban would keep Navalny, who has aired presidential ambitions, out of the presidential vote scheduled for 2018. Putin, who has been in power as president or prime minister since 2000, has not ruled out running in that election.
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