Iran rejected a European Union offer to arrange direct nuclear talks with the U.S., senior diplomats say, risking fresh tension between Tehran and Western capitals.
Two senior Western diplomats said Iran has ruled out attending a meeting in Europe for now, saying it wanted a guarantee first that the U.S. would lift some sanctions after the meeting.
The U.S. had said it would attend the talks, which the EU had hoped to host in the coming days. However, Washington had refused to provide sanctions relief before face-to-face negotiations with Iran had taken place.
Diplomats said Iran’s rejection didn’t kill off all hopes of direct negotiations in coming months and that Tehran’s move might be an attempt to gain leverage in future talks. Those talks could yet start before the Iranian new year in late March.
Still, Iran’s move is likely to exacerbate tensions in the coming days.
A State Department spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.
At stake are efforts by the EU to revive the 2015 nuclear deal from which the Trump administration withdrew and whose limits Iran has subsequently breached. Both the Biden administration and Iran say they want to restore the accord, but the two sides have been stymied by a debate on which should move first.
As that dispute has festered, France, the U.K. and Germany are working on a resolution they plan to present to the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency next week that would censure Iran for its recent steps to expand its nuclear activities and its failure to cooperate with the agency’s probe into its nuclear work.
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Iran has warned if the censure move goes ahead it might end an agreement it struck earlier this month with the IAEA that would allow most international inspections to continue. Iran had previously said it would significantly curtail inspectors’ access to its nuclear activities, but it scaled back that move after IAEA Director General
Rafael Grossi
visited Tehran.
If Iran follows through on that threat, it would greatly reduce international oversight of Iran’s nuclear work, a situation that Mr. Grossi has said would gut the agency’s ability to keep Iran’s nuclear program in check.
The Biden administration has said it wants to return to the nuclear deal but won’t suspend its sanctions on Iran until Tehran reverses the multiple steps it has taken to breach the 2015 nuclear deal.
European diplomats had warned that if Iran stayed away from the talks, which the EU hoped to arrange for this coming week, it could leave Tehran more isolated diplomatically. One senior European diplomat said that Iran was however fearful of going home empty-handed from a meeting with the U.S., which could have sparked a major backlash in Iran.
Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com and Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com
A Moscow court on Saturday rejected Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal against his prison sentence, even as the country faced a top European rights court’s order to free the Kremlin’s most prominent foe.
Speaking before the verdict, Navalny urged Russians to stand up to the Kremlin in a fiery speech mixing references to the Bible and “Harry Potter.”
WHITE HOUSE SAYS NO G-7 INVITE FOR RUSSIA
A lower court sentenced Navalny earlier this month to two years and eight months in prison for violating terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.
Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption crusader and President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, appealed the prison sentence and asked to be released. The Moscow City Court’s judge on Saturday only slightly reduced his sentence to just over 2 1/2 years in prison, ruling that a month-and-half Navalny spent under house arrest in early 2015 will be deducted from his sentence.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gestures as he stands in a cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
The activist’s arrest and imprisonment have fueled a huge wave of protests across Russia. Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, detaining about 11,000 people, many of whom were fined or given jail terms ranging from seven to 15 days.
Speaking before the verdict, Navalny referenced the Bible as well as “Harry Potter” and the animated sitcom “Rick and Morty” as he urged Russians to resist pressure from the authorities and challenge the Kremlin to build a fairer and more prosperous country.
RUSSIA MOVES TO EXTINGUISH PRO-BAVALNY ‘NLASHLIGHT’ PROTESTS
“The government’s task is to scare you and then persuade you that you are alone,” he said. “Our Voldemort in his palace also wants me to feel cut off,” he added, in a reference to Putin.
“To live is to risk it all,” he continued. “Otherwise, you’re just an inert chunk of randomly assembled molecules drifting wherever the universe blows you.”
Navalny also addressed the judge and the prosecutor, arguing that they could have a much better life in a new Russia.
“Just imagine how wonderful life would be without constant lying,” he said. “Imagine how great it would be to work as a judge when no one would be able to call you and give you directions what verdicts to issue.”
He insisted that he was unable to report to the authorities in line with his probation requirements while he was convalescing in Germany after his poisoning, emphasizing that he returned to Russia immediately after his health allowed.
“I wasn’t hiding,” he said. “The entire world knew where I was.”
GUN-WAVING ROBBER HOLDS UP TV REPORTER, CREW WHILE FILMING IN ECUADOR
Navalny said he was an atheist before but has come to believe in God, adding that his faith helped him face his challenges. He said he believed the Bible saying that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, and that he felt no regret in returning home.
A police van carrying the Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, left, escorted by road police vehicles arrives at the Babushkinsky district court prior to the start of his trial in Moscow, Russia, early Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
“Even though our country is built on injustice and we all face it, we also see that millions of people want righteousness,” Navalny told the court. “They want the righteousness and sooner or later they will have it.”
Russia has rejected Western criticism of Navalny’s arrest and the crackdown on demonstrations as meddling in its internal affairs.
In a ruling Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Russian government to release Navalny, citing “the nature and extent of risk to the applicant’s life.” The Strasbourg-based court noted that Navalny has contested Russian authorities’ argument that they had taken sufficient measures to safeguard his life and well-being in custody following the nerve agent attack.
The Russian government has rebuffed the Strasbourg-based court’s demand, describing the ruling as unlawful and “inadmissible” meddling in Russia’s affairs.
In the past, Moscow has abided by the ECHR’s rulings awarding compensations to Russian citizens who have contested verdicts in Russian courts, but it never faced a demand by the European court to set a convict free.
In a sign of its long-held annoyance with the Strasbourg court’s verdicts, Russia last year adopted a constitutional amendment declaring the priority of national legislation over international law. Russian authorities might now use that provision to reject the ECHR’s ruling.
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Later on Saturday, Navalny will also face proceedings in a separate case on charges of defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny, who called the 94-year-old veteran and other people featured in a pro-Kremlin video “corrupt stooges,” “people without conscience” and “traitors,” has rejected the slander charges and described them as part of official efforts to disparage him.
Dolly Parton has turned down yet another accolade offered to her — this time, from her home state of Tennessee. In a statement, Parton said she asked lawmakers not to consider a bill that would allow a statue of her to be built on the grounds of the state’s Capitol. This comes just weeks after the country superstar revealed that she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice.
“I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds,” Parton’s statement, shared on her social media pages, reads. “I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration.”
The bill, introduced by State Representative John Mark Windle, was passed by a state House committee February 9. However, if Parton has her way, it won’t go any further.
“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” Parton’s statement continued. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”
The bill’s introduction comes after an online petition was created last year to urge the Tennessee State House to replace Confederate statues in the state with statues of Parton. “Aside from her beautiful music, which has touched the hearts and lives of millions of Americans, Dolly Parton’s philanthropic heart has unquestionably changed the world for the better,” the petition reads.
Parton created The Dollywood Foundation in 1988, which focuses on literacy and education in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee. And her giving has recently gone global. In November, it was revealed that she helped fund research for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.
The music icon and philanthropist made a $1 million contribution toward coronavirus research efforts at Vanderbilt University in April.
While Parton has done a lot for her home state — and the world — she has remained humble and has turned down accolades for her work.
During an interview with NBC’s “Today” earlier this month, Parton revealed she was offered the Presidential Medial of Freedom by the Trump administration twice. “I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill. Then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID.”
“Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure,” she said, adding that she’s not even sure if she deserves it.
Parton concluded her statement about the Tennessee statue by saying she will “continue to try to do good work to make this great state proud.”
Dolly Parton has turned down yet another accolade offered to her — this time, from her home state of Tennessee. In a statement, Parton said she asked lawmakers not to consider a bill that would allow a statue of her to be built on the grounds of the state’s Capitol. This comes just weeks after the country superstar revealed that she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice.
“I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds,” Parton’s statement, shared on her social media pages, reads. “I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration.”
The bill, introduced by State Representative John Mark Windle, was passed by a state House committee February 9. However, if Parton has her way, it won’t go any further.
“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” Parton’s statement continued. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”
The bill’s introduction comes after an online petition was created last year to urge the Tennessee State House to replace Confederate statues in the state with statues of Parton. “Aside from her beautiful music, which has touched the hearts and lives of millions of Americans, Dolly Parton’s philanthropic heart has unquestionably changed the world for the better,” the petition reads.
Parton created The Dollywood Foundation in 1988, which focuses on literacy and education in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee. And her giving has recently gone global. In November, it was revealed that she helped fund research for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.
The music icon and philanthropist made a $1 million contribution toward coronavirus research efforts at Vanderbilt University in April.
While Parton has done a lot for her home state — and the world — she has remained humble and has turned down accolades for her work.
During an interview with NBC’s “Today” earlier this month, Parton revealed she was offered the Presidential Medial of Freedom by the Trump administration twice. “I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill. Then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID.”
“Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure,” she said, adding that she’s not even sure if she deserves it.
Parton concluded her statement about the Tennessee statue by saying she will “continue to try to do good work to make this great state proud.”
NEW DELHI — A court in New Delhi on Wednesday acquitted an Indian journalist of defamation after she accused M.J. Akbar, a prominent former government minister and newspaper editor, of sexual harassment, in a dispute widely seen as a barometer of the country’s fledgling #MeToo movement.
Mr. Akbar had accused the journalist, Priya Ramani, of criminal defamation after she made her allegations. But the court found that Mr. Akbar failed to prove his case, saying that Ms. Ramani’s claims were in the interest of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.
The court said in its order that the “right of reputation can’t be protected at the cost of right to dignity.”
Mr. Akbar has the opportunity to appeal.
Had Ms. Ramani been found guilty of defamation, she could have been imprisoned for up to two years, fined or both. Under Indian law, individuals can make a criminal defamation claim in the courts, though the legal standard is higher than for civil defamation cases.
Even though Ms. Ramani was acquitted, experts say the defamation suit could still have a chilling effect among women seeking to come forward to complain of harassment and violence at the hands of powerful men. Mr. Akbar, a member of India’s Parliament, mustered a team of nearly 100 lawyers to press his defamation claim against Ms. Ramani.
Mr. Akbar, who founded and edited several newspapers and magazines before switching to politics, has been the most prominent figure in Indian public life to face wide accusations of sexual harassment amid the rise of the #MeToo movement. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, and was part of the team that helped bring Mr. Modi to power in India’s 2014 election.
He resigned as minister of state for external affairs in 2018 after Ms. Ramani’s allegations of sexual harassment prompted 20 other women to sign a letter making similar accusations. Mr. Akbar has denied all of the women’s allegations.
Ms. Ramani’s accusations focused on Mr. Akbar’s tenure at The Asian Age, the newspaper he started in the early 1990s.
In October 2017, she wrote an article for Vogue India in which she described an uncomfortable hotel room encounter with a senior editor during a job interview more than 20 years earlier. She described him as a legend in the news industry but did not include his name.
A year later, in October 2018, as the #MeToo movement swept Indian social media, with Bollywood stars and journalists speaking out, Ms. Ramani tweeted a link to the Vogue story, this time identifying Mr. Akbar, then a junior foreign minister in Mr. Modi’s cabinet.
“Lots of women have worse stories about this predator,” she wrote. “Maybe they’ll share.”
Within days, nearly a dozen journalists came forward with allegations ranging from harassment to rape by Mr. Akbar during his tenure as a senior editor with various Indian publications. By the end of the month, 21 female journalists had published their allegations. They said Mr. Akbar had used his position as a senior editor to harass and intimidate them, mostly young women starting their careers in journalism.
Mr. Akbar resigned amid the allegations but filed a defamation suit against Ms. Ramani the following day. Ms. Ramani has since deactivated her Twitter account. Mr. Akbar has said the deactivation amounted to evidence tampering.
In a court hearing in September, Ms. Ramani said her allegations did not amount to defamation because they were true and in the public interest.
Mr. Akbar did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Wednesday. Ms. Ramani said that she could not discuss the case until a verdict had been reached.
“I spoke because women before me spoke up,” she said at a literature festival in 2019. “I spoke so people after me can speak up.”
A number of countries around the worldhave fudged official coronavirus statistics, shared artificially sunny outlooks about the pandemic, or cracked down on reports that counter the official narrative.
Zoom in: But no country has taken coronavirus denial to the extent of Tanzania — which is not only denying that it has a single case, but it’s also rejecting vaccines.
Even North Korea, which has reported zero cases, is set to receive vaccines from the COVAX initiative. So too Turkmenistan, which is officially COVID-free but will soon launch its vaccination campaign with Russia’s Sputnik V.
President John Magufuli says Tanzania doesn’t need vaccines, and that they don’t work anyway: “If the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, he should have found a vaccination for AIDS, cancer and TB by now.”
His government has instead recommended herbal remedies, steam treatments, and a ginger and onion smoothie to ward off infection.
Reality check: Magufuli’s COVID populism is dangerous for multiple reasons.
Tanzanians are dying. In crowded hospitals, patients on oxygen succumb to what will be officially recorded as “acute pneumonia,” The Continent reports.
The virus crosses borders. The government’s decision to refuse vaccines and make any test and trace system all but impossible could be dangerous for Tanzania’s neighbors, and potentially the world.
The other side: Doctors and journalists have tried to spread the word about the risks, mostly anonymously due to fear of retribution, and the Catholic church recently raised the alarm.
The Major League Baseball Players Association has rejected a proposal from MLB to shorten the 2021 season to 154 games. MLB recently proposed the changes and offered to pay the players for the usual 162 games in exchange for an expanded 2021 postseason. In response to the union’s rejection, MLB now says the 2021 season will start on time and as planned.
The union released the following statement on Monday night:
“Late last week, the MLBPA for the first time this offseason received a proposal from MLB to delay Spring Training and Opening Day by approximately one month.
Under the proposal, the end of the season would be delayed one week, the regular season would be shortened to 154 games and all thirty teams would be required to play several doubleheaders. Players would also be required to accept previously rejected proposals that link expanded playoffs with expansion of the designated hitter.
Although Player salaries would not be initially prorated to a 154-game regular season, MLB’s proposal offers no salary or service time protections in the event of further delays, interruptions, or cancellation of the season.
The MLBPA Executive Board and Player leadership reviewed and discussed the owners’ proposal throughout the weekend and today. The clear-cut result of these deliberations is that Players will not accept MLB’s proposal, will instead continue preparations for an on-time start to the 2021 season, and will accept MLB’s commitment to again direct its Clubs to prepare for an on-time start.
We do not make this decision lightly. Players know first-hand the efforts that were required to complete the abbreviated 2020 season, and we appreciate that significant challenges lie ahead. We look forward to promptly finalizing enhanced health and safety protocols that will help Players and Clubs meet these challenges.”
MLB subsequently responded with its own statement:
“On the advice of medical experts, we proposed a one-month delay to the start of Spring Training and the regular season to better protect the health and safety of players and support staff. A delay of the season would allow for the level of COVID-19 infection rates to decrease and additional time for the distribution of vaccinations, as well as minimizing potential disruptions to the 2021 season that currently face all sports.
“The offer included starting the regular season on April 29th and playing a 154-game schedule that would pay players in full as if playing 162 games. We also proposed two changes from the 2020 season that were overwhelmingly popular with our fans – for this season only, featuring a modified expanded Postseason (seven teams per League) and the universal designated hitter rule.
“This was a good deal that reflected the best interests of everyone involved in the sport by merely moving the calendar of the season back one month for health and safety reasons without impacting any rights either the players or the Clubs currently have under the Basic Agreement or Uniform Player’s Contract for pay and service time.
“In light of the MLBPA’s rejection of our proposal, and their refusal to counter our revised offer this afternoon, we are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols. Our 2020 season taught us that when the nation faces crisis, the national game is as important as ever, and there is nothing better than playing ball. We were able to complete a 2020 season through Herculean efforts and sacrifices made by our players, Club staff and MLB staff to protect one another. We will do so again, together, as we work towards playing another safe and entertaining season in 2021.”
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a number of players believe it is too late in the offseason to revise the schedule, which explains in part the reasoning behind the union’s rejection. The two sides could revisit the idea of expanded playoffs and the universal DH, but the union remains opposed to the idea of expanded playoffs, according to Rosenthal.
David Samson broke down the latest MLB/MLBPA negotiations on the latest episode of Nothing Personal with David Samson. Listen below:
It should be noted the MLBPA recently rejected an offer that would have given them the universal DH in exchange for an expanded postseason. The new 154-game season proposal is essentially the same offer, only with eight fewer games and a delayed start.
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Under the league’s plan, spring training would’ve begun March 22, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, and Opening Day would have been moved back to April 28. The Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond adds the expanded postseason would have included 14 teams, not 16 like the 2020 season.
MLB’s proposal seems reasonable enough on the surface, though the MLBPA would not be getting anything nearly as valuable as the expanded postseason is to the owners. An expanded postseason equals tens of millions in additional revenue to MLB. The union is already entitled to full pay for 2021, which means they wouldn’t have been getting much out of the rejected proposal.
As much as delaying the season would make sense for health and safety reasons, it comes down to money. MLB wants to play as many games as possible with fans in the stands, and delaying the season would help it do that now that vaccination distribution has begun. The MLBPA wants full pay regardless of season length.
Spring training camps are scheduled to open in mid-February and Cactus League and Grapefruit League play will begin Feb. 27. The regular-season opener is scheduled for April 1. To hear both sides now tell it, that’s the schedule they’ll stick to.
The Major League Baseball Players Association has rejected a proposal from MLB to shorten the 2021 season to 154 games. MLB recently proposed the changes and offered to pay the players for the usual 162 games in exchange for an expanded 2021 postseason.
The union released the following statement on Monday night:
“Late last week, the MLBPA for the first time this offseason received a proposal from MLB to delay Spring Training and Opening Day by approximately one month.
Under the proposal, the end of the season would be delayed one week, the regular season would be shortened to 154 games and all thirty teams would be required to play several doubleheaders. Players would also be required to accept previously rejected proposals that link expanded playoffs with expansion of the designated hitter.
Although Player salaries would not be initially prorated to a 154-game regular season, MLB’s proposal offers no salary or service time protections in the event of further delays, interruptions, or cancellation of the season.
The MLBPA Executive Board and Player leadership reviewed and discussed the owners’ proposal throughout the weekend and today. The clear-cut result of these deliberations is that Players will not accept MLB’s proposal, will instead continue preparations for an on-time start to the 2021 season, and will accept MLB’s commitment to again direct its Clubs to prepare for an on-time start.
We do not make this decision lightly. Players know first-hand the efforts that were required to complete the abbreviated 2020 season, and we appreciate that significant challenges lie ahead. We look forward to promptly finalizing enhanced health and safety protocols that will help Players and Clubs meet these challenges.”
MLB subsequently responded with its own statement:
“On the advice of medical experts, we proposed a one-month delay to the start of Spring Training and the regular season to better protect the health and safety of players and support staff. A delay of the season would allow for the level of COVID-19 infection rates to decrease and additional time for the distribution of vaccinations, as well as minimizing potential disruptions to the 2021 season that currently face all sports.
“The offer included starting the regular season on April 29th and playing a 154-game schedule that would pay players in full as if playing 162 games. We also proposed two changes from the 2020 season that were overwhelmingly popular with our fans – for this season only, featuring a modified expanded Postseason (seven teams per League) and the universal designated hitter rule.
“This was a good deal that reflected the best interests of everyone involved in the sport by merely moving the calendar of the season back one month for health and safety reasons without impacting any rights either the players or the Clubs currently have under the Basic Agreement or Uniform Player’s Contract for pay and service time.
“In light of the MLBPA’s rejection of our proposal, and their refusal to counter our revised offer this afternoon, we are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols. Our 2020 season taught us that when the nation faces crisis, the national game is as important as ever, and there is nothing better than playing ball. We were able to complete a 2020 season through Herculean efforts and sacrifices made by our players, Club staff and MLB staff to protect one another. We will do so again, together, as we work towards playing another safe and entertaining season in 2021.”
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a number of players believe it is too late in the offseason to revise the schedule, which explains in part the reasoning behind the union’s rejection. The two sides could revisit the idea of expanded playoffs and the universal DH, but the union remains opposed to the idea of expanded playoffs, according to Rosenthal.
David Samson broke down the latest MLB/MLBPA negotiations on the latest episode of Nothing Personal with David Samson. Listen below:
It should be noted the MLBPA recently rejected an offer that would have given them the universal DH in exchange for an expanded postseason. The new 154-game season proposal is essentially the same offer, only with eight fewer games and a delayed start.
Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest sports news.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Under the league’s plan, spring training would’ve begun March 22, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, and Opening Day would have been moved back to April 28. The Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond adds the expanded postseason would have included 14 teams, not 16 like the 2020 season.
MLB’s proposal seems reasonable enough on the surface, though the MLBPA would not be getting anything nearly as valuable as the expanded postseason is to the owners. An expanded postseason equals tens of millions in additional revenue to MLB. The union is already entitled to full pay for 2021, which means they wouldn’t have been getting much out of the rejected proposal.
As much as delaying the season would make sense for health and safety reasons, it comes down to money. MLB wants to play as many games as possible with fans in the stands, and delaying the season would help it do that now that vaccination distribution has begun. The MLBPA wants full pay regardless of season length.
Spring training camps are scheduled to open in mid-February and Cactus League and Grapefruit League play will begin Feb. 27. The regular-season opener is scheduled for April 1. To hear both sides now tell it, that’s the schedule they’ll stick to.
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal of his arrest while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies after tens of thousands swarmed the streets in over 100 Russian cities last weekend demanding his release.
Appearing in court by video link from jail, Navalny denounced criminal proceedings against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.
“You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by that government,” he said. “Yes, you have the power now to put me in handcuffs, but it’s not going to last forever.”
The 44-year-old Navalny, the most well-known critic of President Vladimir Putin’s government, was arrested Jan. 17 upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusations.
Navalny was arrested and jailed for 30 days at the request of Russia’s penitentiary service, which charged that he had violated the probation terms of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money-laundering conviction that rejected as politically driven. He is also currently facing accusations in two separate criminal probes.
Before the Moscow Region Court rejected the appeal of his recent arrest, defense lawyers argued that while undergoing rehabilitation in Germany, Navalny could not register with authorities as required by the probation terms. His lawyers also charged that Navalny’s due process rights were repeatedly violated during his arrest.
Navalny described his jailing following an earlier court hearing quickly held at a police station as a mockery of justice.
“It was demonstrative lawlessness intended to scare me and all others,” he told the Moscow court.
Navalny’s supporters are organizing another round of rallies for Sunday. Police on Wednesday searched Navalny’s apartment, a rented accommodation where his wife, Yulia, has been living and the residences of several of his associates and supporters.
Navalny’s brother, Oleg Navalny, his top ally, Lyubov Sobol, Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva from the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors and Maria Alyokhina from the Pussy Riot punk collective were detained for 48 hours as part of a criminal probe into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during last Saturday’s protests.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the searches and detentions were a legitimate part of police efforts to investigate the alleged violations during the events.
“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “There were numerous violations of Russian laws, and law enforcement agencies are at work.”
Moscow police on Thursday issued a notice to the public not to join protests Sunday, warning that officers would act resolutely to disperse unsanctioned rallies and bring participants to justice.
Also Thursday, Russian prosecutors issued warnings to Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social networks, demanding that they block calls for more protests.
“The state doesn’t want the social networks to become a platform for promoting such illegal actions,” Peskov said.
Asked if a refusal to remove such content could prompt Russian authorities to block the platforms, Peskov said it would be up to relevant government agencies to consider a response.
“All pros and cons will be weighed and, if necessary, measures envisaged by the law will be taken,” he said.
Earlier this week, Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it would fine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian social networks for their failure to block calls on minors to join Saturday’s protests.
Facebook, Google and TikTok haven’t responded to requests for comment about the Russian authorities’ action. Twitter refused to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday.
Also Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal probe against Navalny’s top strategist, Leonid Volkov, accusing him of encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies. Volkov, who currently stays abroad, rejected the charges.
“The streets must speak now. There is nothing else left,” Volkov tweeted after Navalny’s appeal was rejected, repeating the call on Russians to turn out in force on Sunday.
In a challenge to Putin two days after Navalny’s arrest, his organization released an extensive video report on a palatial seaside compound allegedly built for the president. It has been viewed over 98 million times, further stoking discontent.
Demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release took place in more than 100 cities across the nation last Saturday, a strong show of rising anger toward the Kremlin. Nearly 4,000 people were reported detained at those protests and some were handed fines and jail terms.
Speaking during Thursday’s court hearing, Navalny thanked his supporters and said, “They are the last barrier preventing our country from sliding into the degradation.”
Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.
Russian authorities have refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.
Navalny’s arrest and the harsh police actions at the protests have brought wide criticism from the West and calls for his release.
___
Associated Press business writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
