CNN —A Russian court has rejected an appeal by jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny against a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges, according to Russian state media RIA, in the latest crackdown on the outspoken Kremlin critic. Navalny was sentenced in August, after he was found guilty of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and numerous other crimes. Navalny appeared at the hearing on Tuesday via video link from a penal colony in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow. Supporters of Navalny claim his arrest and incarceration are a politically motivated attempt to stifle his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A joint investigation by CNN and the group Bellingcat linked the Russian Security Service to Navalny’s poisoning.

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Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny’s, ” Navalny, Daniel Kholodny, Novichok, Moscow’s Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, YouTube, Russian Security Service Locations: Vladimir, Moscow, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Berlin, Siberian, Omsk, Ukraine