Imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has accused the Russian judiciary of arbitrary criminal proceedings as a new trial against him gets under way. "My trials are quite strange in terms of the process and the sentences, but here they have crossed every line," the outspoken Kremlin critic said in an improvised courtroom set up at the prison camp where he is currently serving a prison sentence.
There he also met his wife Yulia Navalnaya again, the couple embraced and were able to be alone together during breaks.
This time, Navalny is facing charges for allegedly embezzling funds for his now-banned anti-corruption foundation and for insulting a judge. According to his team, Navalny faces 15 years in prison. The court refused to move the trial to the Russian capital Moscow, some 100 kilometres away. - dpa
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