[ti:Navalny Defiant as Russian Court Rejects Appeal] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A Russian court on Thursday rejected [00:04.24]opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal of his arrest. [00:10.04]At the same time, Russian officials [00:13.68]detained several of his allies and warned social media companies [00:19.24]against posting in support of protests. [00:23.64]Last weekend, tens of thousands of protesters [00:28.04]demonstrated in across Russia to demand Navalny’s release. [00:33.60]The jailed leader appeared in court by video link. [00:38.40]He said the government arrested and charged him [00:42.12]in an effort to stop the opposition movement. [00:46.20]“You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people [00:51.08]who have been robbed by that government,” he said. [00:55.16]“Yes, you have the power now to put me in handcuffs, [00:59.68]but it’s not going to last forever.” [01:03.28]The 44-year-old is the most famous Russian critic [01:08.20]of President Vladimir Putin’s government. [01:11.80]He was arrested on January 17 after returning from Germany. [01:18.28]Navalny had been in that country for five months [01:22.44]recovering from a poisoning that almost killed him. [01:26.80]Navalny is charged with violating a legal agreement [01:31.36]connected to the suspension of his prison sentence. [01:35.80]He had been found guilty in 2014 of financial wrongdoing. [01:41.72]He denied the crime and argued the charges [01:45.56]were made for political reasons. [01:48.36]He is also facing accusations in two other criminal investigations. [01:54.88]His defense lawyers told the appeals court that Navalny [01:59.44]could not meet the probation requirement [02:02.36]when he was under medical treatment in Germany. [02:05.96]His lawyers also argued that Navalny’s legal rights [02:10.32]were violated repeatedly during his arrest. [02:14.48]Navalny described his jailing as a mockery of justice. [02:20.88]“It was demonstrative lawlessness” [02:24.12]meant to scare him and all others, he told the Moscow court. [02:29.04]Navalny’s supporters are organizing [02:32.28]another round of protests for Sunday. [02:35.52]Police on Wednesday searched the temporary home of Navalny [02:40.72]and his wife, Yulia. [02:43.40]Police also searched the homes of several [02:46.68]of his supporters and made arrests. [02:49.40]Police detained his brother, Oleg Navalny, [02:53.96]and Navalny’s top ally, Lyubov Sobol. [02:58.56]Anastasia Vasilyeva from the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors [03:05.00]and Maria Alyokhina from the Pussy Riot music [03:09.56]and performance group were also arrested. [03:13.16]They were held for 48 hours. [03:16.48]A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said the searches [03:21.12]and detentions were part of police efforts to investigate [03:25.92]public health law violations at the protests. [03:30.00]“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job,” [03:34.08]he said in a telephone call with reporters. [03:38.00]Police in Moscow issued a notice Thursday warning the public [03:43.04]against attending demonstrations planned for Sunday. [03:47.32]They said officers would take strong action [03:50.88]to end the gatherings and arrest protesters. [03:54.60]Also Thursday, Russian court officials sent a warning [03:59.36]to Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social media, [04:05.40]demanding that they block anyone calling for more protests. [04:10.36]Earlier this week, Russia’s media and communications [04:15.00]governing agency Roskomnadzor said it would fine Facebook, [04:20.76]Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian companies. [04:26.84]The agency said the media sites failed to block calls [04:31.72]for those under 18 to join Saturday’s protests. [04:36.80]Facebook, Google and TikTok have not commented [04:41.04]about the Russian officials’ action. [04:43.72]Twitter refused to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday. [04:49.56]Also Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it [04:54.04]opened a criminal investigation against Navalny’s top ally, Leonid Volkov. [05:02.48]It accused him of pushing for children to attend protests. [05:07.44]Volkov, who now lives outside of Russia, rejected the charges. [05:12.96]“The streets must speak now. There is nothing else left,” [05:17.56]Volkov wrote on Twitter after Navalny’s appeal was rejected. [05:23.12]Demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release took [05:27.20]place in more than 100 Russian cities last Saturday. [05:32.00]Almost 4,000 people were reported arrested. [05:36.32]Some protesters were ordered to pay fines and serve jail terms. [05:42.04]I’m Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM