Russia launches new probe targeting jailed critic Alexei Navalny
The fresh probe comes after Navalny's allies were already banned as "extremist" earlier this year ahead of Russia's elections.
Russia's Investigative Committee on Tuesday launched a new "extremism" probe against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny that could see his jail sentence extended.
The committee said it was investigating Navalny and his top allies, Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov, for allegedly running an "extremist network." Other allies were accused of taking part.
If convicted, Navalny, Volkov and Zhdanov could each face up to 10 years in prison, while other activists risk a maximum sentence of six years.
Why is Navalny behind bars?
The 45-year-old dissident was detained in January after flying back to Russia from Germany. Navalny was sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony for violating parole from a previous conviction he says is politically motivated.
He was flown to Germany earlier for five months of medical treatment after being poisoned in Siberia in August 2020 with a military nerve agent. Russia has denied its involvement and has accused the West of a smear campaign against it.
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