Russian court upholds decision not to investigate Kremlin critic Navalny’s poisoning
March 22, 2021, 12:00 pm

Russian court upholds decision not to investigate Kremlin critic Navalny’s poisoning

A Russian military court on Monday upheld a decision by state investigators not to open criminal investigations into the poisoning of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and rejected a legal appeal by his allies, one of his legal team said.

Navalny, 44, fell ill on a flight in Siberia in August and was airlifted to Germany, where doctors concluded he had been poisoned with a nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any role in his illness and said it has seen no proof he was poisoned.

After recovering in Germany and returning to Russia, Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, was jailed last month for around two and a half years over parole violations he called trumped up.

His allies had asked Russian law enforcement authorities to open criminal cases into his poisoning and had filed a legal complaint against what they said was the authorities’ unacceptable inaction.

But a Moscow military court on Monday rejected their appeal, Vyacheslav Gimadi, the head of the legal department at Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on Twitter as did the Navalny Team’s official Twitter account.

The court ruled that state investigators’ refusal to look into the matter formally, a decision they said was justified by what they said was a lack of evidence that a crime had taken place, was lawful, Russian news agencies reported.

Navalny’s team said it planned to appeal the ruling.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”