The prosecution called for 12 years in prison for Navalny’s associate Chanysheva

The prosecution requested 12 years in prison for the former chief of staff of Alexei Navalny in Ufa, Liliya Chanysheva. This was reported by Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

The second suspect in the Chanysheva case, the disabled Rustem Mulyukov, was ordered by the prosecutor to spend five years in prison and two years of restricted freedom.

Chanysheva is charged with the activities of an extremist community using official positions, calls for extremism and the creation of an organization that violates the rights of citizens. The deadlines for these articles may be extended.

Liliya Chanysheva has been the head of Navalny’s headquarters in Ufa since 2017. She is accused in the “joint criminal case” against Navalny and his closest associates, which is conducted by the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

Chanysheva was arrested on November 10, 2021 in Ufa. Prior to that, the activist and a number of other Ufa supporters of Alexei Navalny were searched. On the same day, Chanysheva was charged with creating and leading an extremist community. On November 17, the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan refused to change Chanysheva’s restraining order. After that, she was taken to the detention center in Moscow.

On April 19, opposition leader Aleksey Navalny appeared as a witness in the trial of Chanysheva via video link from the colony. Other witnesses in the Chanysheva case stated that they were pressured by the investigation and judges.

Liliya Chanysheva pleads not guilty.

• In June 2021, the Moscow City Court, at the request of the prosecutor’s office, declared Navalny’s foundations and Navalny’s headquarters extremist organizations and banned their activities.
• In December 2021, the Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Lilia Chanysheva as a political prisoner.
• At the end of January, Rosfinmonitoring added Liliya Chanysheva — along with Alexei Navalny and other associates — to the list of persons involved in extremist or terrorist activities.