Taking on "the party of crooks and thieves"

RNW is in the process of shifting its focus to promoting freedom of speech in regions where it is under threat. Over the coming weeks we will be publishing a series of portraits of men and women around the world who have stood up for the right to speak their minds. Today, Russian blogger Aleksei Navalny.
Aleksei Navalny has singlehandedly enriched Russia’s political vocabulary with the now widespread synonym for President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party: the ‘party of crooks and thieves’. Over the past year he has used these four words wherever and whenever possible, in his blog, in interviews, in live discussions on the radio and, naturally, at the mass protest rallies that have taken place in Moscow and elsewhere since Russia’s fraud-ridden parliamentary elections last December.
Navalny (36), an eloquent lawyer and financial expert, has become famous as a lonely fighter against corruption. In his highly popular blog he published what he said was evidence of fraud within Russia’s oil export monopoly Rosneft. With public funding, he started a website which closely follows government spending (www.rospil.info). Another site (www.rosyama.ru) seeks to document the dilapidated state of Russia’s roads, as evidence of the incompetence of the government department responsible for their maintenance. And he continues his crusade against the ruling party.
A tiny mosquito
At the recent mass rallies against Putin’s rule, Navalny emerged as a fearless figure with leadership ambitions. Someone who is not only able to wield a sharp pen on the internet, but is equally at ease in front of tens of thousands protesters. His ‘one for all, all for one’ has become a much-heard battle cry at anti-Putin rallies. Navalny likes to compare himself to a tiny mosquito, whose bites can sting those in power.
If enough people do the same, he says, the regime will change. He is convinced Russia can be changed beyond recognition within five years if conditions are right. Asked whether he would one day run for president he says yes, but not under the current circumstances, which he believes make an honest election impossible. Playing according to the rules dictated by the Kremlin means supporting the current regime, he claims. Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of his heroes.
Intimidation
After a street protest last December, Navalny was arrested and sentenced to fifteen days in prison. He was again detained at a rally in early May, which ended in violent clashes with the police, and received a similar sentence. Shortly afterwards, police searched the homes of several activists, including Navalny, saying they were investigating the ‘masterminds’ behind the unrest at the May meeting. Opposition leaders are convinced these are retaliatory measures aimed at preventing people from taking part in future demonstrations.
In early July an anonymous blogger posted excerpts from Navalny’s personal e-mail exchange with the current governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, for whom he once worked as an advisor. A leader of the pro-Kremlin youth organization Nashi and other pro-Kremlin officials say the mail exchange proves that Navalny is guilty of graft and tax evasion and call for his prosecution. Navalny denies any wrongdoing and says the publication of the hacked messages is yet another attempt by the authorities to discredit him.
Controversial
In spite of his rising popularity, Aleksei Navalny is a controversial figure even for many of his supporters. The main reason for their suspicion is his regular attendance at an annual march organised by Russian nationalists. ‘Russia for Russians’ is one of their more moderate slogans. Neo-Nazi groups shouting ‘Sieg Heil’ or ‘Save Russia, kill the Jews” also take part in the demonstrations. Navalny argues that only by taking part in such rallies can such nationalist sentiments can be tamed and further radicalisation prevented.