Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed new charges by Russian prosecutors.
The 47-year-old is already serving more than 30 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including extremism charges that his supporters characterise as politically motivated. In comments passed to his associates, Navalny said he had been charged under article 214 of Russia’s penal code, which covers crimes of vandalism.
I don’t even know whether to describe my latest news as sad, funny or absurd, he wrote in comments on social media Friday via his team. I have no idea what Article 214 is, and there’s nowhere to look. You’ll know before I do.
He said that the charges were part of the Kremlin’s desire to initiate a new criminal case against me every three months. Never before has a convict in solitary confinement for more than a year had such a rich social and political life, he joked.
Navalny is one of President Vladimir Putin’s most ardent opponents, best known for campaignin
