Photo Gallery 'A Political Show Trial'
The prominent blogger and lawyer Alexi Navalny (seen here in Moscow on Aug. 3) is one of the leaders of Russia's opposition. In a SPIEGEL interview, Navalny talks about the verdict in the Pussy Riot case, the role of women in anti-Putin protests and why he is not afraid of going to jail.
There were protests around the world on Friday after the Pussy Riot verdict was announced. Here, a demonstration outside the Russian consulate in Toronto. "It was clearly a political show trial," Navalny told SPIEGEL.
The three members of Pussy Riot each received a two-year sentence in a labor camp. "The girls have merely committed a minor offense, not a crime," Navalny said. "They present no danger to society."
Former world chess champion and opposition leader Garry Kasparov was among those detained in protests outside the court building in Moscow on Friday. "You can't fight Putin with elections because he controls them," Navalny told SPIEGEL. "That's why demonstrations are the most effective approach."
