“Revolution
Olivier” – Demonstrations planned today
From Mark Sleboda in Moscow -
This
is what is being tweeted by liberasts about a planned "Maidan"
in Moscow today over Russian ultranationalist Navalny's verdict for
fraud against French cosmetic firm Yves Rocher today. He received a
suspended 3.5 year sentence and a fine.
As
indicated below – this was organised from Washington DC (SMR) -
More details on the real Navalny will follow soon
Top
opposition figure Navalny guilty of embezzlement, gets 3.5yrs
suspended
Russian
opposition activist Aleksey Navalny has received a suspended 3.5 year
sentence in an embezzlement case, a Moscow district court announced
in an early verdict.
RT,
30
December, 2014
Navalny
was accused of embezzling over $500,000 from cosmetics company Yves
Roche. Those charges can merit a sentence of up to 10 years in
prison.
Aleksey
Navalny stood trial with his brother Oleg, who was facing an
eight-year sentence. Oleg was also found guilty and received a
sentence of 3.5 years in prison.
Both
brothers were each fined 500,000 rubles (US $8,500) and together will
have to pay out 4.4 million rubles ($76,000) to a company listed as
one of those affected in the case.
The
Navalnys’ lawyers have already announced they will appeal the
court’s decision.
“Of
all the possible verdicts this one is the meanest,”
Aleksey Navalny tweeted.
The
court's verdict was initially scheduled to be revealed on January 15.
However, on Monday the court that is dealing with the case confirmed
the announcement has been moved to an earlier date “because
the verdict is already ready.” Rescheduling
the announcement caused an uproar among Navalny’s supporters.
The
blogger himself said he was informed of the moved hearing less than a
day prior to it. “Turns
out there are no such exceptions that cannot be arranged for good
people,” a
statement on Navalny's website reads. The rearrangement of the date
was “impossible
according to the law,” Navalny
claimed on Twitter.
A
protest rally, which has initially been scheduled for January 15 was
moved together with the sentence announcement and will take place
Tuesday evening. Following the verdict, Navalny once again reminded
of the event. Some 16,000 people will attend, according to the
rally’s Facebook page.
A supporter of opposition leader and
anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny stands next to policemen
blocking a street near a court building during his hearing in Moscow
December 30, 2014 (Reuters / Tatyana Makeyeva)
The
criminal case against Aleksey Navalny and his brother Oleg Navalny
was initiated after managers from cosmetics giant Yves Rocher accused
Navalny of major embezzlement in December 2012. The executives
claimed the activist – together with his brother, a senior manager
in a subsidiary of the state enterprise Russian Post – tricked them
into signing a transportation contract with Oleg Navalny’s own
company at inflated prices.
Officially charged with 30-million-ruble (US$518,000) fraud and money laundering, Navalny has been under house arrest since February. He was banned from using the internet and other means of communication, but continued to update his popular anti-corruption blog by proxy of his wife.
Earlier
in December, Russian prosecutors asked that Aleksey Navalny be
sentenced to 10 years in prison, and also sought to sentence his
brother Oleg to eight years behind bars. Navalny has claimed his
innocence on all charges, stating that the scheme was an ordinary
go-between business.
Navalny
has repeatedly stated that the criminal cases against him were
instigated by the authorities as “revenge” for his
anti-corruption activism and forays into political opposition.
Back
in 2013, Navalny received a five-year probation sentence for
taking part in a graft scheme involving a state-owned timber company
in central Russia’s Kirov Region.
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