Opposition politician Alexei Navalny was found guilty by a court in Moscow and imprisoned.
The EU wants to sanction Russia for this.
Update from 02/22/2021, 2:13 p.m.:
The European Union (EU) is launching new Russia sanctions because of the detention of Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny.
The foreign ministers of the EU countries agreed on Monday at a meeting in Brussels to begin the necessary preparations, as the German press agency learned from several diplomats.
The punitive measures are to include asset freezes and EU entry bans against those responsible for the detention of Nawalny and will come into force in the next few weeks.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) and others had previously clearly spoken out in favor of new punitive measures.
"When Navalny was poisoned, we made it clear that we were not prepared to accept a breach of international law, and we imposed sanctions," said the SPD politician in Brussels on Monday.
In particular, due to the conviction of Nawalny and the fact that he had to spend his imprisonment in a prison camp, the question of sanctions is now raised again.
"I am in favor of giving the order here to prepare such sanctions and listings of individuals," said Maas.
Locked up and fined: Moscow court passes two verdicts on Kremlin critic Navalny
Update from February 20th, 2021, 5:51 p.m.:
Just hours after a controversial prison camp verdict was confirmed, Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny was sentenced to a heavy fine in Russia.
For allegedly insulting a World War II veteran, the Moscow court on Saturday fined the opposition politician a fine of 850,000 rubles (around 9,400 euros).
That's roughly double the average annual salary in Russia.
Navalny had sharply criticized a video broadcast in the Russian state media in 2020 (see below).
In it, several citizens - including a now 94-year-old veteran of World War II - campaign for a constitutional amendment that also served to secure President Vladimir Putin's power.
Navalny insulted the people in the clip on Twitter as “traitors” and “puppets” in a politically motivated process.
Update from February 20th, 2021, 1 p.m.:
Just two hours after the sentencing of the prison camp against the Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny began on Saturday (February 20th, 2021) a second hearing against the opposition politician began in the same courthouse.
The 44-year-old faces a heavy fine for insulting a World War II veteran.
According to information from Navalny's team, the same public prosecutor was used in both negotiations.
Second trial against Navalny: same day, same building, same public prosecutor
The background to the process is Navalny's criticism of a video that was shown in the Russian state media in summer 2020.
In it, several citizens - including a now 94-year-old veteran of World War II - campaign for a constitutional amendment that also served to secure President Vladimir Putin's power.
Navalny then referred to the people involved as “traitors” and the veterans specifically as “puppets” in a politically motivated process.
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Alexei Navalny stands in a cage in the courtroom for the photographers.
© Alexander Zemlianichenko
First report from February 20th, 2021, 10.30 a.m .:
Moscow - A court in Moscow has dismissed the appeal of the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny against a sentence
This confirms a ruling from February which converted a suspended sentence that had already been imposed on Navalny in 2014 into a prison sentence.
Verdict against Alexej Navalny: Two and a half years in a prison camp
Only a slight softening of the verdict was made: the appeals court reduced the sentence by six weeks.
The judge added six weeks of house arrest, which Navalny had already served, to the sentence.
Navalny has to be imprisoned in a penal camp for around two and a half years.
The trial in northeast Moscow took place under the strictest security precautions.
Navalny was poisoned in August last year.
He blames the Kremlin for the poison attack.
After receiving treatment in a hospital in Germany, the Kremlin critic returned to Russia in January.
He was arrested immediately upon his return.
According to judgment: international criticism and mass protests in Russia
A conviction followed on February 2: Navalny was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment in a prison camp for alleged violations of probation conditions in previous criminal proceedings.
The alleged violations of probation conditions include his stay in Germany.
He was treated in the Berlin Charité after the poison attack and was there for several weeks in a coma.
The judgments are considered politically motivated and are criticized internationally.
In addition, mass protests broke out in Russia in early February after the first verdict was pronounced.
The European Court of Human Rights demands the release of the Kremlin critic.
(dpa / afp / at)
List of rubric lists: © Alexander Zemlianichenko
