Jailed Navalny Not Allowed To Attend Nemtsov's Funeral

A Moscow court rejected prominent Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny's request to attend the funeral ceremony of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

Navalny is serving an administrative sentence for violating laws on mass gatherings.

Navalny had asked authorities to release him for 24 hours on March 3 to be able to attend Nemtsov's burial.

But the Presnensky Court in Moscow said any inmate serving an administrative sentence term can only be temporarily released if he or she is severely sick or when a close relative dies.

Navalny was sentenced to 15 days in jail on February 19 for distributing fliers promoting an opposition protest planned for March 1 that had yet to be officially sanctioned.

The planned opposition march on March 1 turned into a march commemorating Nemtsov, who was gunned down on February 28.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax