The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected in court on Wednesday, according to his lawyer, because of an ongoing case in which the Kremlin critic is accused of libel.
He is said to have discredited a World War II veteran.
A commission of inquiry that usually investigates war crimes has looked into the case, saying Navalny has “questioned the honour and dignity of the veteran.”
The man said in a commercial that he favours the constitutional change that will allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Navalny posted that video to Twitter, calling all the people in the video “a disgrace to our country” and “traitors without a conscience”.
The Kremlin critic was arrested last weekend when he returned to Russia for not complying with his suspended prison sentence conditions. Navalny had been in Germany since August after being taken there to be treated after being poisoned. The poisoning, according to Navalny, was the work of the secret service on behalf of Putin.
According to the Russian justice, Navalny should have reported every two months again in September, because he had been released from the hospital. For that case, he will return to court on February 2.
In any case, Navalny will remain in prison until February 15, of which the first fourteen days in quarantine, because of the corona measures. Therefore, he will not be able to go to court on Wednesday, and according to his lawyer, it is still uncertain whether he can be there with a video connection.