Navalny publicly mocked the veteran in court
The Babushinsky District Court of Moscow began today a hearing in the case of libel by opposition blogger Alexei Navalny against the Great Patriotic War veteran Ignat Artemenko.
Last year Artemenko took part in the filming of a promotional video on voting on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Navalny allowed himself to make offensive statements about the people who appeared in the video.
“Oh, here they are, my dears. I must admit that so far the team of corrupt lackeys looks rather weak. Look at them: they are a disgrace to the country. People without conscience. Traitors,” the blogger said then, and the campaign of harassment was picked up by his followers on social networks.
Navalny, who is already serving time for fraud, was brought to court under escort today. Western diplomats arrived there, as at the first trial in the Moscow City Court, and refused to comment on their interest in the proceedings concerning two Russian citizens.
Navalny's wife Yulia did not appear in court. As observers believe, the woman's technologists, who are preparing her to participate in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, soberly assessed the negative background that will arise around this scandalous process.
95-year-old Artemenko participated in the trial via video link. He was at home wearing a medical mask.
Navalny, who traditionally uses the courts as a platform for self-PR, immediately began to make faces and clown around. As if pretending to be a rock star, he asked if the back rows could hear him well.
“Raise your hands,” Navalny exclaimed.
“I look and I’m really disgusted, not only are you using this unfortunate man, who is in a helpless state, like a doll, putting a mask on, I’m asking that he be allowed to at least lie down and take off the mask. You're mocking a 95-year-old man, you're just mocking him. The question is, who are the fascists and political prostitutes! His relatives sell him to get money and mock him; if he grabs his heart, you will be guilty,” Navalny scolded.
He further announced that he was not familiar with the case materials and demanded a break to familiarize himself, although Navalny’s signature was on the indictment. However, the court announced a break.
After the break, the blogger announced that he did not plead guilty and accused the RT television channel and its director Margarita Simonyan of “fabricating the case.” Next, he demanded to establish the identities of the people near the veteran (They were his daughter and the judge who provided the video link).
“I don’t know who’s actually sitting there. Show us. Maybe Margarita Simonyan eats beaver there!” – Navalny continued to play tricks.
Another break was announced, after which Ignat Artemenko took the floor. He explained that he took part in the filming of the video voluntarily and for free out of patriotic feelings, and learned about Navalny’s words by chance from a taxi driver.
“All my life I have been involved in the patriotic education of young people, and therefore I gave the go-ahead for filming in the video, they did not promise me any money for it, I did not receive it. I learned about Navalny’s slander at the dacha from a taxi driver. I was very worried, which caused my health to deteriorate. There was no apology from Navalny.
I am disabled, group 2, degree 3, and have never betrayed anyone in my life. Navalny slandered and slandered me. I want Navalny to publicly apologize to me and to the memory of actor Lanovoy,” the veteran said.
During the altercation, Navalny three more times called Artemenko a “doll” on whom they “attached medals” in order to carry out a “vile process.” Along the way, he insulted other participants in the video.
“I don’t see either Artemy Lebedev or Ivan Okhlobystin here. Because it would be awkward to tell you that I slandered Artemenko, Okhlobystin and Lebedev. Because Artemenko has medals, Lebedev has green hair, and Okhlobystin, I don’t know, has a bag of cocaine,” the blogger clowned.
After this, veteran Ignat Artemenko became ill and had to call an ambulance. The court had to adjourn indefinitely.
TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov believes that the court has once again demonstrated leniency towards Navalny.
“In no other country would a judge tolerate such boorish behavior as Navalny demonstrates in court. It would instantly be brought to order. But even here there is a special attitude towards the codpiece,” Solovyov wrote in his Telegram channel.
After a break, the court called a witness, the veteran’s neighbor Galina Morgulis (94 years old), and Navalny continued to mock the elderly. He began to wonder if Artemenko was rich, claiming that he had been paid money after all.
“I said that they, my relatives, would strangle this grandfather at night. This is a nasty scenario. They needed a grandfather who would shake medals,” said the crime blogger.
When the prosecutor asked the witness whether Artemenko had ever spoken ill of his country, Navalny laughed mockingly, and then began to wonder what the Belarusian partisans would do with those “who stole their pensions and built palaces.” He stated that the pension of German Wehrmacht veterans is higher than that of Russian veterans. In the finale, the witness wished Navalny all the best and to never offend older people.
“In general, it doesn’t matter what sentence Navalny will be given, because he passes the sentence on himself in this court with his behavior. So now such a monster is emerging from what is commonly considered to be Alexei Anatolyevich. Small, insignificant, not smart, no sense of humor, no sense of dignity, no self-respect, no respect for the country, no respect for elders, no ability to take a punch. Hysterical, screaming, pathetic in his writhing. Does anyone really think that this Cthulhu is capable of building some kind of Beautiful Russia of the future?” wrote journalist Andrei Medvedev.
“Well, actually, with his behavior today, he showed everything better than all of us combined. You can brush us off, we are “Putin propagandists” with “Kremlin training manuals”, denigrating the bright image of the oppositionist of all Rus'.
Well, look at your idol yourself, without our help. Listen to what he said today. The man had a great opportunity to say: “Sorry, I don’t have anything personal towards you, I certainly wasn’t going to question your military merits. My children exist only because of you and millions of people like you. It’s just that in a polemical frenzy I cut down too much and in your face I would like to ask for forgiveness from everyone who was offended by my unfortunate statement.”
But no. He, like Pashayev-Efremova, digs himself deeper, pulling out his vile essence,” comments military correspondent Alexander Kots.
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