Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is facing a sentencing hearing after being tried in a secret trial, with the prosecutor seeking a 20-year imprisonment sentence in a special regime colony. The trial materials, consisting of 196 volumes, are largely irrelevant and nonsensical, with many documents unrelated to Navalny. The investigation has uncovered evidence of direct influence by the FSB (Russian secret service) on the trial, including calls between an FSB officer and the judge. This is seen as a clear example of "telephone law" and an unthinkable crime in any civilized country. The speaker argues that publicity and public awareness are the only insurance that can be offered to Navalny, who is under threat every day, and calls on supporters to share information about the case and fight for Navalny's freedom.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Alexey Navalny was to be sentenced on the day of the document.
2. The prosecutor asked for 20 years of imprisonment for Navalny.
3. The trial was held in a special regime colony, in the assembly hall.
4. No spectators or journalists were allowed in the trial.
5. Navalny's parents were not allowed to attend the trial.
6. The lawyer forbade anyone to say anything about what was happening during the trial.
7. The case against Navalny consisted of 196 volumes.
8. The case materials did not relate directly to Navalny.
9. The case included photographs of random things, such as a boiled omelette and patterns.
10. The investigators photographed witnesses and searched homes.
11. The case included photographs of blank sheets and notebooks with empty sheets.
12. The case was under the personal control of the chairman of the investigative committee, Bastrykin.
13. The second Department for the Protection of the Constitutional System was involved in organizing the poisoning of Navalny in 2021.
14. Denis Khvorov, an operative of the second Department, called Judge Andrey Aleksandrovich Suvorov on June 16, one working day before the start of the trial.
15. The FSB officer and the judge had several calls to each other during the trial.
16. The judge who previously conveyed to Navalny that she regretted replacing his suspended sentence with a real one suddenly died six months after the verdict.