A trial against an ally of opposition politician Alexei Navalny has begun in Russia on allegations of “extremism”. The court in Tomsk started examining the case of Xenia Fadeyeva on Monday, a court spokeswoman told the AFP news agency on the phone. However, shortly after it began, when prosecutors read out the indictment, the trial was adjourned to Tuesday, local media reported.
The postponement by one day is intended to give Fadeyeva’s new lawyer the opportunity to read the 90-volume court documents, the reports said. Fadejewa’s lawyers had therefore demanded at least ten days for this.
Fadeeva is accused of founding an “extremist organization” and participating in an organization that “violates civil rights”. The 31-year-old is a former municipal deputy in Tomsk. She led Navalny’s team in the Siberian city where the opposition leader was poisoned during a pre-election visit in August 2020.
The 31-year-old was elected to Tomsk City Council along with other activists in 2020, a rare achievement for the Russian opposition at the time. In 2021, Navalny’s campaign teams were classified by the authorities as “extremist organizations”. As a result, supporters and employees of the opposition politician ran the risk of being prosecuted.
Many of Navalny’s allies have since left Russia. Fadeyeva, on the other hand, stayed in the country and was arrested in December 2021 on charges of organizing an “extremist” group. In January 2022, she was placed on Russia’s “terrorist” list. Fadeyeva’s trial comes shortly after Navalny was convicted of “extremism”.
The trial of Fadeyeva is the latest in a series of trials against vocal critics of the Kremlin. The crackdown has intensified since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. According to the non-governmental organization OWD-Info, almost 20,000 people have since been arrested for protesting against the Kremlin’s policies. More than 670 criminal proceedings against dissidents have been initiated.
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