How to control the message and your enemies; Russian style – PB/TK
Putin critic Navalny jailed after protests across Russia –
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was handed a 15-day jail sentence on Monday for his part in a big anti-government protest in Moscow which buoyed the liberal opposition’s morale a year before a presidential election.
Sunday’s protest and others like it across Russia were estimated to be the largest since 2012 and foreshadow a presidential election which Vladimir Putin is expected to contest.
Opinion polls suggest Navalny, who hopes to run against Putin, has little chance of unseating the Russian leader, who enjoys high ratings. But Navalny and his supporters hope to channel public discontent over corruption to get more support.
Navalny, who will appeal the court’s verdict, was found guilty of disobeying a police officer at Sunday’s Moscow protest and sentenced to 15 days in jail. He was also fined for organizing the protest, which the authorities said was illegal.
Navalny told reporters in the Moscow courtroom that he and his allies would not give up.
Continue to reuters.com article: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-navalny-idUSKBN16Y1EN
