On Friday, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of supporting “extremism.” This is actually his fifth criminal conviction, and, according to a report from USA Today, “Navalny and his supporters have repeatedly criticized his criminal convictions as politically motivated and described them as attempts by Russian President Vladimir Putin to silence his archenemy.”
Navalny has been incarcerated since January 2021. He has reportedly been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin and was found guilty of multiple charges, including creating and participating in an extremist community, financing extremist activities, organizing such a community, making public calls for extremist actions, and involving minors in dangerous activities. Additionally, Daniel Kholodny, the former technical director of Navalny’s YouTube channel, was also convicted of similar offenses, receiving a lesser sentence of eight years in a penal colony.
For our VIP members: Will the Latest Indictment Hurt Trump?
“Navalny’s sentence was just one year shy of what state prosecutors were seeking for the ailing dissident, whose case has become a cause celebre for advocates for political prisoners worldwide,” reports the Washington Examiner. “He was first sentenced to under three years when first returning to Russia from Germany in January 2021, then he was sentenced to an additional nine years after protests in support of him.”
Soon after Navalny’s latest conviction, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the verdict on Twitter, describing it as politically motivated.
“The United States strongly condemns Russia’s conviction of opposition leader Aleksey Navalny on politically motivated charges,” Blinken tweeted Friday. “The Kremlin cannot silence the truth. Navalny should be released.”
The United States strongly condemns Russia’s conviction of opposition leader Aleksey Navalny on politically motivated charges. The Kremlin cannot silence the truth. Navalny should be released.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 4, 2023
Blinken’s tweet was met with a barrage of comparisons to Joe Biden’s Department of Justice and its multiple indictments of Donald Trump, Biden’s main political opponent, on charges that experts have called weak yet could subject Trump to being handed down a sentence of hundreds of years in prison if convicted.
“Is this a spoof?” asked the Kari Lake War Room account.
“I love that you’re in on the joke,” political commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted.
“You didn’t send this tweet with a straight face,” accused RedState contributor Brandon Morse.
“Welp, any word yet on if Russia has condemned the arrest of the US opposition leader on politically motivated charges?” asked another Twitter user.
Related: Trump Indictments Conveniently Follow Bad News Days for Joe Biden
Perhaps my favorite response came from former Trump official William Wolfe, who shared a meme:
This is you: pic.twitter.com/RBvC8tNCHI
— William Wolfe 🇺🇸 (@William_E_Wolfe) August 4, 2023
Here’s another great meme:
— TWEETO BANDITO (@DjptrsnMana) August 4, 2023
Blinken has previously come under fire for his role in orchestrating the letter from more than 50 intelligence officials falsely claiming the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member