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Russia Dismisses Western Criticism of Navalny Sentencing

VOA News

   The Russian government dismissed Western criticism Wednesday of its
   sentencing of opposition politician Alexey Navalny and the massive
   rallies that followed that resulted in the arrest of hundreds of
   protestors.

   A Russian court sentenced Navalny Tuesday to three and a half years in
   prison, defying condemnation abroad and public outcry at home to send
   one of the Kremlin's most vocal critics to jail.

   Western countries have demanded that Moscow release Navalny, but Russia
   has told them not meddle in its sovereign affairs. Foreign Minister
   Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that the Western demands were
   "arrogant and improper," and maintained the Kremlin would not be
   influenced by Western "hysterics."

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