Poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will spend 30 days in detention after a court hearing in a Moscow police station Monday, his spokesman said.
Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter Monday morning that a trial had suddenly begun at the police station where he was being held, in the Moscow suburb of Khimki.
Ivan Zhdanov, head of Navalny's campaigning organization, said on Twitter that prosecutors on Monday applied for Navalny to remain in prison for 30 days, and then for the suspended jail term to be made a full sentence.
Shortly after, Yarmysh shared a video with a message from Navalny from the police station, in which he urged people to take to the streets and "not be afraid.".
Earlier on Monday, one of Navalny’s lawyers, Vadim Kobzev, tweeted a photo of a last-minute formal notice from the local police chief announcing the hearing — it lacked the usual letterhead and formatting, suggesting it was hastily thrown together.
Navalny's detention immediately upon his return to Russia, and general treatment by the Russian government, triggered condemnation from foreign officials.
In response to widespread international criticism of Navalny's treatment, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Facebook that critics must "respect international law."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the criticism was designed to distract from countries' domestic problems
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