Navalny is sentenced to 19 years for ‘extremism’ as Kremlin crushes dissent

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted of “extremism” charges on Friday following closed prison court proceedings and sentenced to 19 years in a “special regime” prison colony, on top of existing sentences of more than 11 years, all in cases widely viewed as trumped up for political retribution.

But the extreme nature of the sentence — which bars him from family visits or even letters for 10 years — shocked even pro-Kremlin figures. The special regime prison colony, the harshest in Russia’s penal system, keeps prisoners in cells with the lights constantly on, barred from speaking.