Putin critic Navalny could face 3.5 years in jail after returning to Russia, says lawyer

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's lawyer has said that he could be jailed for up to three and a half years after returning to Russia. This comes after Navalny on Wednesday announced that he is planning to return back from Germany to his home country on January 17. Navalny's lawyer on Thursday said that Russia has put the opposition leader on a national wanted list for allegedly violating suspended prison terms. 

Read: Russia Prison Authorities Threaten Kremlin Critic Navalny To Return Back Or Face Jail

Last month, Russian prison authorities warned Navalny to return back from Germany and fulfill his obligations under the suspended prison terms or he could be jailed upon arriving in Russia. According to Associated Press, Russian prison authorities, citing a Lancet report, said that Navalny was discharged from the hospital on September 20 and by October he became normal, thus he should return back to Russia and fulfill his obligations assigned to him under the suspended sentence. 

Read: Russia Launches Criminal Investigation Against Alexei Navalny's Ally, Lyubov Sobol

Russian prison service had issued an ultimatum to Navalny, asking him to report to its office by December 29 or be jailed. After Navalny did not show up, he was placed on the country's wanted list. Navalny had received a 3 and a half-year suspended sentence back in 2014 after he was found guilty of money laundering and fraud. Navalny's brother Oleg had also received a prison term in the same case. Both had challenged their sentences in the European Court of Human Rights. 

Read: Russia Launches Criminal Investigation Against Alexei Navalny's Ally, Lyubov Sobol

Why Navalny left Russia? 

Navalny, a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin was poisoned last year in August. Navalny fell ill and collapsed in a flight while he was travelling from Tomsk to Serbia. Navalny was taken to a hospital after the plane made an emergency landing. Russian doctors denied finding any traces of poison, following which he was flown to Germany in a private plane. German doctors ruled that Navalny was poisoned using Soviet-era banned nerve agent Novichok. 

Read: Russia Prison Authorities Threaten Kremlin Critic Navalny To Return Back Or Face Jail

(Image Credit: AP)