MOSCOW -- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his former business partner, Pyotr Ofitserov, were released from custody Friday, one day after their conviction in an controversial embezzlement case, Interfax news agency reported.
A district court in the regional capital of Kirov sentenced Navalny and Ofitserov to five years and four years in prison, respectively, and a $15,000 fine each for embezzling the equivalent of $530,000 from a local timber company in 2009.
Navalny, a popular blogger, lawyer and officially registered opposition candidate in the Moscow mayoral election set for Sept. 8, never pleaded guilty in the case and declared the charges bogus and the trial politically motivated.
In the last few years, Navalny has been one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin, publicly calling the Russian leader a thief, and his party, United Russia, a group of swindlers and thieves. The criticism contributed to the ruling party's humiliating 50% showing in parliamentary elections in December. Many experts considered Navalny's conviction a result of Putin's vengeance.
In the wake of the verdict and sentencing, massive protests shook a number of major cities in Russia on Thursday night. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, thousands of people demanding Navalny's release took to the streets and tried to block traffic. Police intervened and arrested dozens.
At the same time, the United States and a number of other Western governments expressed concern with what they termed an example of biased, politically motivated justice.
The White House on Thursday said Navalny's conviction was "politically motivated" and part of a "disturbing trend of government actions aimed at suppressing dissent and civil society in Russia."
"The numerous procedural shortcomings in this case also reinforce our broader concerns about rule of law in Russia," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
On Friday morning, the Russian General Prosecutor's Office hurriedly appealed the imprisonment of the two men, and the Kirov regional court ruled that both should be released while they appeal the verdict. Navalny was freed on a pledge that he not travel outside Moscow.
Upon his release, Navalny thanked his supporters "for making them release me" and Ofitserov.
"Even if it is temporary, let's use this time to shake up the swindlers," Navalny wrote in his Twitter account Friday morning. "We took a deep breath and down to work again. ... Agitation, leaflets, everything."
Under the pressure from protesters at home and concerned governments abroad, the Kremlin had to urgently remedy the situation, said Andrei Piontkovsky, a senior researcher with the System Analysis Institute in Moscow.
"By putting his key opponent in prison yesterday, Putin demonstrated that he is vengeful and not too smart as a politician," Piontkovsky said in an interview with The Times. "Today, by initiating Navalny's release, Putin looks like a weak politician in the eyes of the general public consisting largely of his supporters."
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sergei.loiko@latimes.com
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