It’s been quite a while since I last saw a press release on the Investigative Committee’s website with the headline, “A criminal case has been opened against Navalny.” But lately, I had been expecting it, of course. Today I had just checked in with the probation inspectorate, and they told me: “You only have a little longer to keep checking in — your suspended sentence will be ending soon.”
So everything is fairly obvious. The case has been fabricated in an extremely crude way. Take note: I already had a criminal defamation case before. Back then I was prosecuted by United Russia member Lisovenko, the “pilot since time immemorial” (a mocking reference), but that was what is known as a private prosecution case. In other words, the offended party files in court, and the court opens the case. So Bastrykin’s protectors of thieves-in-law (that is, organized crime bosses in the post-Soviet criminal hierarchy) supposedly had nothing to do there.
But here the case was opened directly by the Investigative Committee itself — the Main Investigative Directorate! To do that, it had to declare the unfortunate grandfather being used in all this a “helpless victim,” conveniently forgetting that he has relatives who gave plenty of interviews, and a lawyer whom they themselves said they hired immediately.
The case is needed, first, because my second suspended sentence is coming to an end, and second, because it brings all their favorite bonuses: the ability to conduct searches, seize equipment, carry out interrogations, and impose various other restrictions. This is extremely important for the authorities ahead of a new battle in the regional elections. Sign up for Smart Voting — what else is there to say.
And support the ACF (Anti-Corruption Foundation) — we will clearly need it, because a new wave of searches lies ahead.