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| Moscow Court Rules Against Navalny in Libel Case | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| MOSCOW — A Moscow court ruled on Tuesday that Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition figure, had libeled a ruling-party politician and fined him about $8,400. The ruling may lead to the reinstatement of a suspended sentence from a previous conviction, landing Mr. Navalny in prison as he awaits trial in a third case. | MOSCOW — A Moscow court ruled on Tuesday that Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition figure, had libeled a ruling-party politician and fined him about $8,400. The ruling may lead to the reinstatement of a suspended sentence from a previous conviction, landing Mr. Navalny in prison as he awaits trial in a third case. |
| Mr. Navalny and his supporters maintain that the blizzard of prosecutions and lawsuits against him are politically motivated efforts by the Kremlin to stifle dissent. Thus far he has managed to avoid going to prison, and even managed to place second in the race for mayor of Moscow last year. Local media reports said he planned to appeal the libel ruling. | Mr. Navalny and his supporters maintain that the blizzard of prosecutions and lawsuits against him are politically motivated efforts by the Kremlin to stifle dissent. Thus far he has managed to avoid going to prison, and even managed to place second in the race for mayor of Moscow last year. Local media reports said he planned to appeal the libel ruling. |
| The Babushkinsky District Court decided the libel case in favor of Alexei Lisovenko, a Moscow city lawmaker from the United Russia party of President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Lisovenko claimed that Mr. Navalny had called him a drug addict in a post on Twitter. | The Babushkinsky District Court decided the libel case in favor of Alexei Lisovenko, a Moscow city lawmaker from the United Russia party of President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Lisovenko claimed that Mr. Navalny had called him a drug addict in a post on Twitter. |
| Mr. Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence last year after a conviction for theft, and he has been under house arrest for the last two months, awaiting trial along with his brother on separate charges; that trial is due to start later this week. The conditions of his house arrest bar him from receiving visitors or from using social media; Mr. Lisovenko claimed in the libel case that Mr. Navalny had violated those terms by posting on Twitter, where he has 641,000 followers. | Mr. Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence last year after a conviction for theft, and he has been under house arrest for the last two months, awaiting trial along with his brother on separate charges; that trial is due to start later this week. The conditions of his house arrest bar him from receiving visitors or from using social media; Mr. Lisovenko claimed in the libel case that Mr. Navalny had violated those terms by posting on Twitter, where he has 641,000 followers. |
| In his defense, Mr. Navalny insisted that he was not using his social media accounts himself, and that they were being updated instead by his wife and various associates. A court is expected to rule later this week on whether to extend Mr. Navalny’s house arrest or order him jailed. | In his defense, Mr. Navalny insisted that he was not using his social media accounts himself, and that they were being updated instead by his wife and various associates. A court is expected to rule later this week on whether to extend Mr. Navalny’s house arrest or order him jailed. |