After returning to Russia, Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, is jailed in Russia resulting in thousands taking to the streets in protest.
Last year, Alexei Navalny became ill on an August 20th flight in Russia. Soon after, he dropped into a coma, leading to the plane to commence emergency landing procedures. Navalny then recovered from what was found to be an attack by a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent in Germany. Navalny blames the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin, alleging that his stance on various issues surrounding the Kremlin were seen as a threat, while Putin denies involvement.
Earlier this month, however, Navalny and his wife decided to return to Russia explaining that, “I am not afraid…I know that I am in the right and that all the criminal cases against me are fabricated.”
Upon his arrival at Vnukovo Airport, a horde of supporters gathered to welcome Navalny back into Moscow, but soon the critic was confronted by policemen in black masks who detained him along with 53 other protesters. Plainclothes officers also jailed key officials who worked with Navalny while they were dining at an airport cafe.
With growing discontentment in Putin, Navalny’s detainment sparked thousands of protests in more than 100 Russian cities. Viktor F. Rau, an activist from the Siberian city, Barknaul, says that “People are tired of this authoritarian regime, of the chaos, of the corruption. Navalny was the Spark.”
More than 3,500 people have been arrested as a result, only furthering the disapproval of Russian leaders. While Putin vehemently opposes any claim of involvement, he has made a rare public appearance and calls the protests both “counterproductive” and “dangerous.”
Navalny is currently being held in a Moscow jail on financial-based charges initially set against him in 2014. European human rights courts, however, deem the charge unfair and demand that Navalny be released. This attitude is not only shared by much of the Russian populace but by the US as well, seen when the embassy spokeswoman, Rebecca Ross, tweeted that “the U.S. supports the right of all people to peaceful protest, freedom of expression. Steps being taken by Russian authorities are suppressing those rights.”
Even though he has been organizing protests since 2012, Alexei Navalny’s rhetoric has been largely ignored by the Kremlin. If the protests say anything, Putin and others inside the Russian government might finally have to deal with its opponents.
