Alexei Navalny - Tortured For Speaking The Truth.

Russia has been under the control of Vladimir Putin for just over two decades, and has recently passed a law which would allow him to rule until 2036. Whilst also passing a law giving immunity from the law to all ex-presidents, of which there’s only one, and then Putin himself once he retires. Sure, he’s kept the country stable through the most turbulent of times, but came at the price of restrictive censorship laws & increasing surveillance on ordinary people. Additionally, his party has seen complete dominance in the nation’s politics, regularly holding 70%+ of the vote each election. Throughout Putin’s control of Russia, only one person has been able to give him a true opposition, Alexei Navalny. Navalny became such a threat to the infamous pseudo-dictator that he sanctioned an assassination attempt, which Navalny survived. He even managed to get the assassin to admit it on a phone call. This evidence being shown to the public made him an even bigger threat to Putin's grasp on power. After fleeing to Germany, Navalny knew the only way he could make change was to be with the people who he needs to rally with him. On arrival, he was arrested and placed in a makeshift court at the back of a police station. For many Russians, this presented a reaction from Putin which is unheard of: fear. Which in turn showed the public that Navalny is someone who could well be the person to overturn this autocratic rule. Despite having made such a strong mark on Russian politics, Navalny is not someone likely to take the seat as president, but simply someone who’s trying to change the leadership of the nation to a more democratic one. The day after the arrest, a video was released detailing Putin’s corruption and his $1.3bn mansion funded by these deals. This has gained 100 million views or two-thirds of Russia’s population. If anything, the people living their lives wishing for a better leader, and subsequent better nation, were able to see the support for that, and not think that they’re on their own. This was what broke the straw on the camel’s back; Moscow & Saint Petersburg’s streets were filled with protestors. Enough to make Moscow’s jails overflow, and those who were arrested were forced to stay in the back of police vans for days. A poll found that 45% of Russians surveyed supported the protests, which surpasses the amount of votes against him in the last election. Just a couple of days later, in a makeshift court in the back of a police station, Navalny was sentenced to three years in a forced labour prison in Siberia. As a result of breaking his parole.. by leaving the country to get treatment for being poisoned.. by the government. Usually, the Kremlin deals with its threats in the shadows, with the effects hidden from the greater public. This blatancy presents how urgent a threat Navalny is seen as. As of the 2nd of February, Navalny is in that prison, being tortured, silenced by the government. Words are powerful ~ and this proves it. If this is being publicised now, imagine how many people without such followed voices must also be pushed down and taken away from society, just for disagreeing with the state. Even for a police state, having hundreds of thousands of people protesting, and millions more questioning the leadership provides a true turning point for a status quo that was rocky from the start. No one can tell for certain what this will bring, but this is unprecedented for Russia. Many have opposed Putin’s regime their whole lives, however, it’s never quite been enough to justify risking their life to possibly be the only one speaking out. This final act of tyranny has pushed it over the edge. There’s an unfortunate history of tyrannical leaders, but often never with a true opposition. Now, for Russia, there is a true possibility for change. I’ve personally witnessed anti-corruption protests in Russia, but on a tiny fraction of the scale that can be seen currently, it was a small community of people who were easily outnumbered by the police; a much lower magnitude to the avenues being filled with people who’ve never met but instead are joined by a desire for change. To the rest of the world, say what you believe is right, no matter how small or insignificant you feel, there’ll always be people willing to work towards your cause. Even if sacrifices have to be made along the way.