An ally of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was detained on Saturday on charges of inciting online extremism.
Pavel Zelensky, a member of the Anticorruption Foundation, was ordered to be imprisoned by the Presnensky District Court the day before Navalny returned to Russia after being poisoned in August and fled to Germany for treatment.
The court said in a statement to Reuters that Zelensky was imprisoned and his detention was confirmed by Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Anticorruption Foundation.
“[We] he will not give up and will help Pasha Zelensky’s family in all possible ways “, Zhdanov posted on Twitter.
The Anticorruption Foundation, a leading opposition group in Moscow, is working to investigate the government registry.
Zelensky’s case revolves around an image he posted on Twitter with Irina Slavina, a Russian journalist who set herself on fire in front of the Interior Ministry after police searched her apartment. Zelensky urged protesters to take to the streets after her death.
The arrest comes at an important time in the war between the opposition and the Russian president Vladimir Putin
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Navalny announced last week that he intends to return to Russia on January 17, after being poisoned in an attack that is believed to have been ordered by the Kremlin. The Russian penitentiary agency warned this week that Navalny could be arrested immediately upon his return to Russia, although such action could eventually lead to fiercer protests and may hurt the opposition leader in the eyes of his followers and Western supporters.