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Russia not to create exclusive conditions for prisoners hiding behind politics — Putin

Russian President said earlier that Navalny had been convicted not for his political activities but for his crimes, including against foreign businessmen in Russia

MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Russia will not create exclusive conditions in prisons for those who shelter themselves behind political activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with CNBC journalist Hadley Gamble after the Russian Energy Week forum’s plenary session when asked whether Russian can improve living conditions for blogger Alexei Navalny who is serving his sentence in a penitentiary colony. The text of the interview was posted on the Kremlin website on Thursday.

"Not the best conditions. But is not the only one. There are other people who violated Russian laws and we are not going to create any exclusive conditions for anyone, including those who shelter themselves behind political activities," he said.

Putin said earlier that Navalny had been convicted not for his political activities but for his crimes, including against foreign businessmen in Russia.

Navalny, who received suspended sentences for embezzlement twice, was wanted in Russia for repeated violations of conditions of his conviction in the Yves Rocher case. On January 17, 2021, he was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport upon arrival from Berlin, where he had undergone medical treatment. On February 2, Moscow’s court replaced Navalny’s three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence with real jail time due to multiple probation violations. Navalny is serving his sentence in penal colony number 2 in the Vladimir region.

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