Jailed Kremlin critic is due to appeal a nine-year prison sentence

Alexei Navalny is due to appeal a nine-year prison sentence

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is due to appeal a nine-year prison sentence he was handed in March on charges that he and his allies say are politically motivated, Qazet.az reports according to AFP reports.

The news agency writes:

His hearing on Tuesday comes as Russian authorities seek to silence remaining government critics and Moscow pushes on with its military campaign in neighbouring Ukraine, with thousands killed and some 10 million displaced.

A vocal critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Navalny in late March had his jail time extended to nine years after he was found guilty of embezzlement and contempt of court.

He is already serving two-and-a-half years in a prison some 100 kilometres east of Moscow for violating parole on old fraud charges.

On Tuesday, he will appeal the extension of his jail term, joining the hearing at a Moscow court via video link from his prison colony.

If his new sentence comes into force, the 45-year-old opposition politician will be transferred to a strict-regime penal colony, which will place him in much harsher conditions.

The new sentence will replace the old one - that he was handed in February last year - meaning Navalny will remain behind bars for another eight years.

As part of the new charges, investigators accused Navalny of stealing for personal use several million dollars’ worth of donations that were given to his political organisations.