A Russian court has sentenced Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of the Kremlin, to life in prison. The court on Thursday rejected an appeal against his detention. Hearing the verdict, Navalny called it "expected". This was reported by the news agency Reuters.
Navalny returned to Russia on January 18 after receiving medical treatment in Germany. He was detained at the airport and given 30 days in jail. Earlier, he went to Germany after being attacked by a potential neuropathic nerve agent. He claims that it was Russian President Vladimir Putin who offered to assassinate him. Russia has denied the allegations.
There are currently several cases against Navalny. It is feared he could be jailed for several years. Western nations have been pressing Russia to release Navalny. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Russia on Saturday to protest. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested since then.