Navalny in court to face charges of slandering WW2 veteran
Moscow, Feb 12 (efe-epa).- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was back in court Friday to face charges of slandering a World War II veteran who appeared in a video last year in support of constitutional changes that would allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036.
Navalny tweeted that those who appeared in the clip, including 95-year-old Ignat Artemenko, were “traitors” to Russia.
Navalny, Russia’s most prominent Putin critic, denies the charges and believes they are being used for political purposes.
He was detained upon his return to Russia from Germany earlier this year after months of recovering from a Novichok poisoning attack that almost claimed his life. Navalny has accused Putin of being directly implicated in the attempted assassination.
Navalny was later ordered to serve a suspended three-year sentence for breaching parole conditions.
He could face a fine of around 1 million rubles ($13,000) in the slander case. EFE-EPA
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