Russia Hands Over Jail Terms To People Mourning Alexei Navalny's Death, 400 Detained

russia hands over jail terms to people mourning alexei navalny’s death, 400 detained

Moscow: Russia has reportedly arrested and detained several people who were mourning the death of Putin Critic Alexei Navalny. Over the weekend, around 400 people were detained and handed short jail terms.

Official documents from Russian courts confirm that people attending memorials for Navalny were given a prison sentence of at least two weeks for violating Russia’s anti-protest laws.

Under Russian law, anti-Kremlin demonstrations or any public display of opposition against the regime is prohibited and illegal. Russia also has strict censorship rules and laws against unapproved protests and rallies.

In St. Petersburg, which is Russia’s second-largest city, over 200 people were detained. Of these 200, 50 have been handed over jail terms of one to six days. In Moscow, around six people were detained and ordered to serve 15 days in prison.

Hundreds of Russians poured out across cities and put up ad-hoc memorials and monuments to victims of political repressions to pay tribute to the Putin critic.

As per reports, around 401 people have been detained across key Russian cities. Alexei Navalny, 47, died on Friday at the Arctic prison colony.

Navalny, serving a 19-year jail term, was recently banished to the Arctic Circle prison. Navalny had been jailed since January 2021. He was jailed shortly after he survived a nerve agent poisoning in Germany, which he blamed on the Kremlin.

As per Russian officials, Navalny died of ‘sudden death syndrome’. Prison officials reported that Navalny felt sick after a walk and then collapsed suddenly. However, the critic’s family and closest allies have alleged murder and blamed President Vladimir Putin.

Putin has been accused of having Navalny killed off, just a month before the Russian presidential elections, during which, Putin is seeking a fifth term.