Navalny, Alexei Anatolyevich

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Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny, 1976–, Russian lawyer and political activist. Navalny joined the Russian United Democratic party in 2000 but was expelled in 2007 for his support of ultranationalist activities. A strident opponent of Vladimir Putin, he has campaigned against corruption in government, mainly through organized protests and the social media. In July, 2013, Navalny was convicted on embezzlement charges, which he denied; many observers regarded the charges and trial as part of crackdown on the opposition. He ran (2013) unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow while appealing his conviction, and accused the government of vote fraud. His prison sentence was suspended on appeal; he was subsequently convicted (2014) on additional embezzlement charges and given a suspended sentence.