'Stop shaming yourself': Navalny mocks judge and prosecutors as he returns to court

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who reappeared in a court on Friday for a trial on defamation charges, mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticised the judge. Navalny, who is being tried for defaming a World War II veteran, backed his lawyer's request to replace the judge, saying she needs to enroll herself in a school to improve her knowledge of law. Navalny is accused of defaming the World War II veteran, who appeared in a video last year promoting a constitutional reform that extended Putin's term limit as President by 2 years. 

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In a previous hearing, Navalny labelled the World War II veteran and others who appeared in the video as "traitors". Navalny had mocked the judge, President Putin, and prosecutors, slamming the case as political vendetta. However, the 94-year-old World War II veteran became unwell during the hearing, which led to the judge adjourning the case until February 12. Navalny came back to the court on Friday and criticised the judge once again, showing he will not be silenced by these cases. 

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On February 2, Navalny was jailed for two and a half years in a separate case of financial fraud, which led to widespread condemnation from the international community, who called for the immediate release of the Russian opposition leader. Navalny's arrest and sentencing led to widespread protests across Russia as tens of thousands of people stormed the streets of Moscow to demand his release. 

Navalny's arrest

Navalny was arrested by the Russian authorities soon after returning from Germany last month, where he had been since August 2020 for treatment. Navalny was flown to Berlin from Russia last year after he fell ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. Upon landing in Germany, doctors concluded Navalny had been poisoned using Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny was in a medically-induced coma for almost a month following which he was kept in the hospital for recovery treatment. 

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Russian prison authorities issued a summon against Navalny asking him to appear before them or face jail time for violating a 2014 suspended sentencing. Navalny was accused of violating the terms of suspended sentencing from 2014, of which he had already served 10 months under house arrest. In February, the court ordered Navalny to fulfill his remaining time in prison, pronouncing him guilty in the parole violation case.  

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