MOSCOW - The prosecutor in the retrial of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is asking for a five-year suspended sentence for the prominent foe of President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny's initial conviction was overturned last year by the Supreme Court. Navalny has announced the start of his campaign to run against Putin in the 2018 elections, but would be barred from running if the conviction is reinstated.
The prosecutor at the trial in the city of Kirov said Friday that Navalny's guilt was fully proven. He is charged with embezzling timber worth about $500,000.
Navalny has repeatedly been arrested and sometimes jailed for participating in opposition gatherings. On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights said seven of those arrests were unlawful and ordered Russia to pay 63,000 euros ($67,600) in compensation.
