Navalny aide Sobol evicted from courtroom during hearing

A Moscow judge evicted Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol from a courtroom Monday where she was being tried over claims she unlawfully entered the apartment of the relative of an alleged FSB agent.

In December, Sobol rang the doorbell of a flat of a relative of alleged FSB agent Konstantin Kudravstev, who Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused of poisoning him with a nerve agent.

Navalny published a video in December allegedly showing Kudravstev admitting to poisoning Navalny's underwear.

The judge in Monday's case ordered that Sobol be evicted from the courtroom after she refused to stop filming the proceedings with a small camera, which she said was part of her right to a public trial.

Before leaving court, Sobol said she no longer wanted to be represented by her lawyer.

"She (Lyubov Sobol) doesn't want to participate in this circus, even through her representative," Vladimir Voronin, her lawyer, said afterwards.

"She doesn't want a person who she trusts to represent her interests in a place where she can't film and she can't have a public trial."

Under the charges, Sobol, a top ally of Navalny, could face up to two years in prison.

She is currently under house arrest for allegedly organising a protest in violation of public health norms during the pandemic.

A Moscow judge evicted Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol from a courtroom Monday where she was being tried over claims she unlawfully entered the apartment of the relative of an alleged FSB agent.