NAVALNY IMPRISONED BECAUSE HE ‘IGNORED’ LAWS, PUTIN DECLARES

The incarceration of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is justified, says Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that the dissident politician had "ignored" Russian laws, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

“There's nothing to talk about there," said Putin, addressing reporters after a summit in Geneva with US President Joe Biden. He said Navalny had consciously wanted to break the law.

"This man knew he was violating every applicable law."

Navalny was jailed earlier this year because he had failed to check in with court officials as required under the terms of his release from an earlier stint in jail. He was not able to do so because he had been in Germany recovering after a poisoning attempt, which many have accused the Kremlin of orchestrating, although Putin and other officials have denied this repeatedly.

Without naming Navalny, Putin noted that he had continued to release videos during his convalescence. "He did what he wanted to do." Putin also justified a recent court ruling that banned multiple organizations linked to Navalny.

"The organizations to which you refer were openly calling for unrest and were obviously involved in something that was illegal," he said. He argued that the groups had been urging underage individuals to get involved in political unrest.

Last week, a Moscow court ruled that FBK, an anti-corruption organization founded by Navalny, is extremist and should be banned. By extension, individuals linked to the organization are now blocked from running for political office.

WEEKLY FEATURE : TRUEMONEY PHILIPPINES BUCKS THE COVID-19 CHALLENGE