MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) The Russian Investigative Committee has charged opposition figure Alexey Navalny with defamation of a war veteran and ordered him to not leave the country, his lawyer Vadim Kobzev told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"The investigator officially indicted him [Navalny] and interrogated him in a suspect capacity. [Navalny] has not pleaded guilty and slammed the criminal persecution as politically motivated. He also refused to answer questions, revoking Article 51 of the constitution [waiver of self-incrimination]," Kobzev said.
Investigators summoned Navalny to show up again on Thursday when, the lawyer believes, he would be informed that the investigation is over and passed to the court for further review.
The case against Navalny was launched last month, after he posted a strongly-worded comment under a video that featured a World War II veteran, Ignat Artemenko, asserting his support of proposed amendments to the Russian constitution. The 93-year-old veteran's family said that he endured severe health consequences after reading the comment.
