The trial of a prominent Russian protest leader is set to begin in the city of Kirov.
Russian protester faces trial after defying Putin
Alexei Navalny could face up to ten years in jail if he is convicted.
The 36-year-old anti-corruption blogger is sure he will be found guilty of a charge of theft, mainly because he believes President Vladimir Putin has orchestrated the case.
Fellow opposition members claim the trial is part of Putin’s clampdown on dissent.
“Even a suspended sentence solves their problem,” Navalny told a group of his supporters.”
He fears it would prevent him from running for the presidency as at any moment it could be turned into a custodial one.
Although he is known to have helped organise protests against Putin’s re-election last May, a government spokesman has denied the president uses the courts for political ends.
Navalny is accused of stealing the equivalent of 400,000 euros from a timber firm he was advising in 2009. It is an accusation he denies.
