Russia’s Navalny loses appeal on terrorist, extremist label

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has lost an appeal contesting the decision by penitentiary officials to label him as “inclined to commit crimes of a terrorist or extremist nature.” Navalny received the designation in October 2021. He and his defense team filed an appeal contesting the label, but a panel of judges on Tuesday rejected the appeal and ruled to keep the designation in place. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin, and handed a 2½-year sentence for a parole violation. In March, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud and other charges.