“You can’t sit on bayonets”

Abstract

The founder of the NGO “Russia Behind Bars”, Olga Romanova, regards the conviction of Alexei Navalny as a legally nihilistic farce - but also as being representative of Russia’s judicial system. She reminds us that the penal system has not been reformed since the late Stalinist era, that secret service operatives are in charge, and that the conditions in normal prison camps like the one where Navalny will be held, are difficult.