A court in Russia's Volga city of Samara ruled on March 4 to send the case of Lilia Chanysheva, the imprisoned former chief of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Ufa, to the Appeal Board of the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan after prosecutors said a 7 1/2 year prison sentence handed to the activist last year for extremism charges was too lenient.
Chanysheva and her co-defendant, Rustem Mulyukov, took part in the hearing via video link from prison while the courtroom was open to the public.
A prosecutor at the hearing claimed Chanysheva "deserves a 10-year prison term," while Chanysheva again rejected all the charges. Mulyukov also reiterated his not-guilty plea and stressed that he has a serious kidney disease.
SEE ALSO: People Keep Paying Their Respects At Navalny's Grave Despite Police Presence And ArrestsChanysheva was handed the sentence in June 2023 after a court in Bashkortostan's capital, Ufa, found her guilty of creating an extremist community, inciting extremism, and establishing an organization that violates citizens' rights.
Mulyukov was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on charges of taking part in the activities of an extremist organization -- mainly organizing events, including educational seminars, investigative programs, rallies, and demonstrations in Ufa.
Chanysheva headed the local unit of Navalny's network of regional campaign groups until his team disbanded them after a Moscow prosecutor went to court to have them branded "extremist."
The request was accepted, effectively outlawing the group.
Chanysheva's defense team said at the time that her arrest was the first since the movement was banned. The charges appear to be retroactive since the organization she worked for disbanded before it had been legally classified as extremist.
Navalny died on February 16 in an Arctic correctional colony while serving a 19-year prison term on extremism and other charges.
Several opposition leaders and associates of Navalny have been charged with establishing an extremist group. Many have fled the country amid pressure from the Russian authorities.