Russian court restricts Navalny ally’s movements for 18 months

Russian court restricts Navalny ally’s movements for 18 months

She was charged after an unsanctioned street protest in support of Navalny.

Russian opposition activist Lyubov Sobol gestures as she walks to the Moscow court on April 15. (AP pic)
MOSCOW:
A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced Lyubov Sobol, a close ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, to 1.5 years of parole-like restrictions after finding her guilty of inciting people to break Covid-19 safety regulations.

Sobol, who says the accusation against her is politically motivated nonsense, was charged after an unsanctioned street protest in support of Navalny earlier this year.

Sobol was ordered to remain at home between the hours of 10pm and 6am for 18 months, banned her from attending mass events and told she must check in with the police three times a month, her lawyer Vladimir Voronin wrote on Twitter.

Sobol had initially been placed under house arrest. Several close Navalny allies, including his brother, are being tried for the same offence.

Navalny himself is serving 2.5 years in jail for parole violations in an embezzlement case he says was trumped up. Navalny’s allies accuse the authorities of using the law to crush dissenting voices ahead of September parliamentary elections.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.