Judge Rejects Appeal, Russian Opposition Leader Navalny's Sentence Increases By 19 Years

JAKARTA - Russia's leading opposition leader Alexei Navalny was again rejected by the judge, making his sentence an increase of 19 years and extending his total sentence to more than 30 years.

After a closed trial for the media, despite protests from Navalny and his lawyers, he stood in prison uniforms and listened to judge Viktor Rogov outline his sentencing list, before telling Navalny the sentence had not changed.

Navalny, 47, is now facing a transfer to a special prison colony, the hardest-case in Russia's criminal system, making him threatened not to be there until the age of mid-70.

Previously, Navalny rejected all charges against him, which for years ranged from fraud and insults to the courts, to a series of 'extremist' activities, as an attempt to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, Daniel Kholodny, a TV technician who worked for Navalny, was sentenced to eight years in prison in August as part of the same trial. His appeal was also rejected on Tuesday.

"Alexei, see you!" Kholodny shouted after the judge finished speaking, with Navalny waving his hand in response.

"For all of us, colleagues and friends, this is a constant suffering," wrote Navalny's aide, Leonid Volkov, on platform X.

"And the challenges are persistent, every day doing everything we can to destroy trophies in the Kremlin," he continued.

It is known, the Kremlin has tried to describe Navalny as a politically irrelevant person. Moscow has accused him of being an extremist and, without providing evidence, as a puppet of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Navalny has so far been the most famous figure in Russia's opposition. Supporters think he is a figure like Nelson Mandela who will one day be released from prison to lead the country.

His political movement has been banned, while his main figures have been jailed or fled overseas, as part of a crackdown on growing dissent since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Navalny said that after last month's ruling, his punishment goal was to destroy the Russian people's desire to oppose Putin, urging the public not to give up.

"You are forced to surrender your Russia without a fight to a group of traitors, thieves, thugs who have seized power," he criticized.

"Putin must not achieve its goal. Do not lose the desire to fight," concluded Navalny.