Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s lawyer has appealed to the prosecutor general’s office to investigate the whether officials sanctioned an attack on the politician last April.
Navalny was hospitalized in April after a member of the SERB nationalist group sprayed him with green antiseptic, causing a chemical injury to his eye. The opposition leader has been barred from running in next year’s presidential elections due to embezzlement convictions his supporters say is politically motivated.
A former member of SERB recently claimed in an interview with the opposition-leaning Dozhd TV network that Major Alexei Okopny of the Interior Ministry's Anti-Extremism Center directed SERB’s attacks on Navalny and his supporters.
Navalny's lawyer Vadim Kobzev told the prosecutor general’s office that police have for the third time halted their investigation into the attack, claiming they could not identify the assailants, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
"Navalny has not been recognized as a victim and has not been questioned,” Kobzev told Interfax.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
