Kremlin critic Navalny expects a lengthy prison term as court readies his extremism trial verdict

MELEKHOVO, Russia (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is preparing to hear the verdict in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said he expects to receive a lengthy term. If the court finds Navalny guilty on Friday, it would be his fifth criminal conviction. His supporters see all of them as a deliberate Kremlin strategy to silence its most ardent opponent. The 47-year-old Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a penal colony east of Moscow. He also was sentenced in 2021 to two and a half years in prison for a parole violation.