%20(3).png){kind=small}
![TFD [LOGO] (10).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bea252_c1775b2fb69c4411abe5f0d27e15b130~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_150,y_143,w_1221,h_1193/fill/w_179,h_176,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/TFD%20%5BLOGO%5D%20(10).png)
RUSSIAN COURT OUTLAWS NAVALNY’S NETWORK TO SPITE BIDEN
- By The Financial District
- Jun 11, 2021
- 2 min read
A Russian court on Wednesday outlawed groups linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after declaring them “extremist,” a move that bans his allies from elections and will further strain US-Russia ties before a closely watched summit, Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrew Osborn reported for Reuters.
President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden are due to hold talks in Geneva next week with the fate of Navalny and the crackdown on his movement certain to be on the agenda. Washington, which has asked Moscow to free Navalny, condemned the court decision, with the State Department calling it "particularly disturbing."
The Kremlin says the matter is a purely domestic one and not Biden's business. It has portrayed Navalny as a US-backed trouble maker, something Navalny has denied.
Wednesday's ruling, the latest chapter in a long-running crackdown on Putin's fiercest domestic opponent, delivers a final hammer blow to a vast political network that Navalny built up over many years to try to challenge the veteran Russian leader's grip on power.
Putin, 68, has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999. Navalny, in jail for parole violations related to an embezzlement case he says was trumped-up, had mounted a bold challenge to Putin via street protests and graft investigations which he had hoped would bring about a change of leadership.
The legal case against Navalny's network was brought by the office of Moscow's top prosecutor who had accused Navalny and his allies of trying to foment a revolution by seeking to destabilize the socio-political situation inside Russia with their activity.
A spokesperson for the Moscow prosecutor's office told reporters on Wednesday that he was pleased with the ruling which had recognized that Navalny's allies had organized illegal street rallies that had ended in mass unrest. After a 12.5 hour legal hearing behind closed doors, Navalny's lawyers said in a statement they would appeal and that the evidence presented by prosecutors had not been satisfactory.
