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Aleksei Navalny Verdict Protests -- Liveblog

RFE/RL is live-blogging a mass unsanctioned protest taking place near the Kremlin this evening after a Kirov court sentenced Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny to five years in a penal colony. The decision has been widely condemned as politically motivated.

Here's a quick summary of today's events
  • Aleksei Navalny and co-defendant Pytor Ofitserov are convicted by a Kirov court of embezzlement and sentenced to five and four years in jail, respectively.
  • The final post from Navalny's Twitter account after the verdict reminds supporters to gather in protest at Manezh Square in Moscow on July 18.
  • Authorities close off Manezh Square and Red Square, with hundreds of people already gathering nearby.
  • Navalny's lawyer urges Muscovites to boycott local elections in September.
  • U.S. and EU officials cast doubt on the trial and cite political motives, echoing similar accusations from rights groups.
16:49 18.7.2013
Blogger Mitya Aleshkovsky provides video of the police blockade of the sqaure.

16:30 18.7.2013
Organizers have called for protests in over 20 cities around Russia. (Here's the List posted on VKontakte, a Russian social networking site).

This Tweet shows a gathering in Ekaterinburg, located in Russia's Urals region.

16:13 18.7.2013
The protests, due to begin at 6PM MSK, are being called "a discussion" because authorities have note given official permission for the action. Still, police are already blocking Manezh Square, an area adjacent to the Kremlin, and some seemingly spontaneous street construction and cleaning projects have begun in the area.



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