#Navalny is facing TWO court hearings today; one is happening now. I'm listening to his speech. He's trying to explain: he was not hiding from the court; he was in a coma. The whole thing is so absurd that it is impossible to comment. In a nutshell: they just want him locked up. 
It is clear that the verdict will not be overturned. He will go to serve 2.8 years or more in a penal colony. His allies are locked up under home arrests w/o the Internet. People are silenced. Honest and brave people have lost again.
Navalny's last word #1: "I give the last word so frequently. This trial will end now; there will be the second [today]. And there, too, I will say my last word. If someone decides to publish my last words, it will be a thick book..."
"Probably, this is a sign the power sends me, “Look, we can turn this judicial system any way we want. What are you doing? I'm not the only one who sees this and... people imagine that it can happen to them, too..."
Navalny speaks of his newly found faith and says that he experiences "satisfaction" and doesn't regret returning to Russia." He did the right thing and followed the commandment "blessed are those hungry for righteousness, for they will be satisfied"
"This commandment is the guiding political idea of today's Russia. Power is in the truth." Meanwhile, right now the journalists are allowed into the courtroom and about to hear the judge's decision--whether Navalny will go to the penal colony for 2.8 years.
"'To live is to risk everything. Otherwise, you are just a sluggish bunch of randomly assembled molecules floating at the will of the Universe," previously said Navalny today, quoting "Rick and Morty"
"I want Russia to be free, but just that is not enough. I want Russia to be rich and for the wealth to be distributed evenly. I want the healthcare system to be fair and people live up to retirement. I want education to be fair, so people could study..."
"I want people to receive the same salary for the same job as in Europe. I want to fight so that Russia is not unhappy. We have everything, but, nevertheless, we are an unhappy country. I propose to change our slogan: Russia should be not just free...
"...but also happy. Russia will be happy!" The judge just announced the verdict. The term was cut to 2.6 years from 2.8 years. He is still going to serve the term in a penal colony.
The judge took into consideration the time that Navalny spent under house arrest from December 30, 2014 to February 18, 2015. In a bit, the second trial will start in the same building.
While waiting: help Navalny and his allies by signing and sharing the petition demanding freedom for political prisoners in Russia. Navalny's doctor's lawyer believes that this petition can help if we get 100,000 signatures. I believe people here can help. change.org/p/the-russian-…
The next hearing is in an hour and a half. It's past 1 am here so I have to crash now. I will report on the second verdict when I wake up. In theory, it shouldn't be a prison term, just a fine. Here is my prior reporting on this next trial, first part;
https://twitter.com/ZarinaZabrisky/status/1360286677940506634
The most important point here: This trial is organized according to the rules of combat propaganda: it plays on emotions. WWII has been hi-jacked by the Kremlin over the last ten years to amplify nationalistic sentiments.
https://twitter.com/ZarinaZabrisky/status/1360271277672583168
By blaming Navalny for insulting a “Great Patriotic War” CET, the regime plays on the transgenerational, deep collective trauma of the Russian people. It is a brilliant smear campaign.
This is why they let #Navalny speak: the hope is he’s making himself unpopular with his own base. Words “honor”, “dignity”, “motherland”, “traitor”, “patriotism” are emotive words and trigger reactions. The work is done on a subconscious level.
Every family in the former USSR suffered deeply during 1941–1945. Even the numbers are emotionally charged. That’s why the “victim” is the veteran (not a mother, a cheese farmer, an actor.) Putin rules Russia from inside the brains. Not seeing it is a fatal mistake for the world
...since everyone can be a subject to brainwashing and manipulation. The West must pay attention and react; failure to act will turn all of us into #Navalny and #Russia, a nation poisoned, comatose, jailed, under house arrest.
Possible punishment is a penalty but the judge is reading the new law now...
Report from the second trial:
https://twitter.com/ZarinaZabrisky/status/1363153510645268484
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