Alexei Navalny Headed to Trial in Russia

Protesters take to the streets in New York City, NY (left) and Moscow, Russia (right) on June 4th, Navalny’s 47th birthday

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, is set to face a new trial on June 19, following a preliminary hearing on June 6, according to AP News. This news comes just days after his 47th birthday, where over a hundred Navalny supporters were arrested across Russia after demonstrating in the streets. Protests were held world-wide. He is currently serving over eleven years for combined charges of fraud and contempt of court.

Navalny’s new trial was originally set for Wednesday, May 31st, but was moved, without reason. Navalny is now facing new charges of terrorism which could add 30 years to life on top of his current sentence. 

Navalny’s team tweeted to his supporters who took to the streets on his birthday, June 4th. “Thank you family!” His tweet reads, “I know that this darkness will pass, that we will win, that Russia will be a peaceful, bright, happy country!”

There are reports he has now spent over 114 days in solitary confinement over seven months. The United Nations (UN) is sounding the alarm bells over this news.

Alice Edwards, a UN torture expert, said if the allegations are true, they would be considered a form of torture.

“Mr. Navalny is reportedly suffering from serious ill-health, including chronic spinal disease and problems related to neurological damage,” Edwards said.

Edwards called on the Russian government to urgently provide Navalny with comprehensive medical care.

At the White House Correspondents’ dinner in April, Navalny’s daughter told CNN’s Jim Acosta about the conditions her father was facing in Russian prison.

“His prison facility guards are taking away his food,” she added. “His health is deteriorating and we are doing everything we can to get him the attention he needs.”

Navalny was arrested in 2021. He was coming back to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent in August 2020.

“Navalny” is the gripping Academy Award and duPont-winning documentary that follows Alexei Navalny, his team and his family as he investigates his own poisoning, and returns back to Russia to meet his fate. With each shocking discovery that Navalny’s team makes, Director Daniel Roher is there filming, bringing viewers deep into the world of Russia’s most prominent opposition leader.

You can watch “Navalny” on HBO Max. We also have a podcast episode, a conversation that goes behind the scenes with director Daniel Roher, available here.