Alexei Navalny, the leading opposition figure whose jailing this month sparked protests across Russia, has been back in court to face charges of slandering a war veteran in a separate case.
Navalny denies the charges and has accused the state of orchestrating the case to damage his image among the Russian public.
The charges relate to a video released last year in support of changes to the constitution that allow Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Navalny said those who agreed to appear in the clip, including the 95-year-old second world war veteran Ignat Artemenko, were “the shame of the country”.
At a first hearing in the case last week there were fiery exchanges between the opposition leader and Artemenko’s grandson, whom Navalny accused of “prostituting” his grandfather. Navalny said the prosecution was “torturing” the former soldier by forcing him to testify, while the judge threatened to have the defendant removed from court.
If convicted, the 44-year-old faces a fine or community service. The law was recently toughened to make slander punishable with two years’ imprisonment, but Navalny’s lawyer said this was not applicable as the alleged crime took place before the change.
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Navalny is serving a three-year jail term for violating the terms of his parole in an embezzlement case dating back to 2014. Prosecutors accused him of failing to communicate with parole officers last year while he was in Germany, recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with a Novichok nerve agent.
The opposition figure and his supporters say the Kremlin ordered the attack.
Navalny was arrested on his return to Russia in January and tried soon after. Authorities have cracked down hard on nationwide protests calling for his release, detaining more than 10,000 people and placing a number of other opposition figures under house arrest. Police searched the offices of Navalny’s Moscow headquarters on Thursday night, following similar raids last month.
Navalny’s team have called for further demonstrations this weekend, but asked supporters to gather near their homes with mobile phone torches and candles rather than take to the streets for mass rallies. Authorities have warned against taking part in any kind of event.
The UK and EU have already introduced targeted sanctions over the poisoning of Navalny, and the EU is considering additional measures over his jailing and the subsequent crackdown.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Friday said the country was prepared to break off relations with the bloc if there were any new sanctions.
“We do not want to isolate ourselves from the world, but we must be ready for this. If you want peace, prepare for war.”
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