Russia

Amnesty International Admits to ‘Undermining’ Alexei Navalny in Prank Zoom Call

A pair of pro-Kremlin humorists who call themselves “Vovan and Lexus” on Thursday tricked top Amnesty International (AI) managers into admitting they “undermined” captive Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, and seriously damaged their own credibility, by stripping Navalny of his “prisoner of conscience” status this week after an intense pressure campaign orchestrated by Russian media operatives.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks on ahead of a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg on November 15, 2018. - ?Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny heads on November 15 to the European Court of Human Rights which will rule on whether his repeated arrests …

Ukraine Shutters TV Channels Owned by Key Putin Ally

Ukraine on Wednesday shut down several television channels owned by businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the action as “difficult” but necessary to protect his country against propaganda from the “aggressor country” of Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting to discuss the Ukrainian peace process at the German federal Chancellery on October 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

Russian Journalist Says Prison Sentence Is Punishment for Joke Retweet

The Tverskoi district court in Moscow has sentenced Sergei Smirnov, editor of the news site Mediazona, to 25 days in jail for “repeated violations” of mass gathering restrictions, though he contends it was a joke tweet in which he suggested a resemblance between himself and Russian rock star Dmitry Spirin, who has openly backed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, that landed him in hot water, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty (RFERL) reported Wednesday.

NORWICH, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 25: (EDITORS NOTE: IMAGES EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL 0001GMT AUGUST 26, 2005) 19 year old inmate James looks out of the window of the Young Offenders Institution attached to Norwich Prison on August 25, 2005 in Norwich, England. A Chief Inspector of Prisons report on …

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