Russia: Navalny 'extremism' trial moved behind closed doors

The trial of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on new charges of "extremism" will take place behind closed doors, a court spokesman said on Monday.

"The court has decided to make the Navalny trial closed," the spokesman for Moscow City Court, Vadim Pozhelayev, told reporters at Navalny's penal colony where the trial is taking place. "The press is requested to leave the room."

Journalists were not allowed into the room where the trial was taking place, but were initially given access to a video feed with audio that was difficult to understand.

The feed was later halted, and the court spokesman said there would be no more media access. Prosecutors had raised unspecified security concerns, saying they had received evidence about a planned "provocation."

Navalny supporters were outraged. "What can be more secure than a strict-regime penal colony where no one is even allowed into the hall?" his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh tweeted.

Navalny's father told news agency AFP it was "shameless" to hold his son's trial behind closed doors. The opposition politician's parents were also barred from observing the proceedings in person, and were only able to view the hearing remotely before also being cut from the video feed. 

How did trial begin?

The trial is taking place at a penal colony in the town of Melekhovo east of Moscow where the opposition figure is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.

On the video feed at the start of the hearing, Navalny, looking thin with cropped hair and dressed in a black prison uniform, was seen standing and speaking for three minutes.

He unsuccessfully demanded access to the courtroom for his parents, and contested the authority of the Moscow City Court judge to try him in a penal colony far from the capital.

Later, Navalny urged his supporters to begin a broad campaign against Moscow's actions in Ukraine. In a statement posted on social media by his allies, Navalny declared that the decision to close the trial was a sign of fear by President Vladimir Putin, and he announced the start of a campaign against Moscow's decision to send troops to Ukraine.

What is Navalny accused of?

Alexei Navalny is accused of "extremism" and a number of other crimes according to Russia's Criminal Code, which was amended in 2022. Navalny himself has said that he faces up to 30 years in prison on the new charges.

There are 196 case files in the new case against Navalny — amounting to over 3,800 pages. The opposition politician is accused of violating seven articles of the criminal code at the same time.

The charges include the organization of an extremist community (his Anti-Corruption Foundation was declared an "extremist organization" on June 9, 2021), public calls for extremism, the rehabilitation of Nazism and involving minors in life-threatening activities (calls for rallies).

dh/rs (AP, AFP, Reuters)