The world must not accept the jailing of Alexei Navalny

IN A DEMOCRACY the battle for power involves elections, media skirmishes and the occasional metaphorical stab in the back. In Russia it is literally a matter of life and death. To oppose President Vladimir Putin requires not only charisma and clear vision but also physical stamina and courage. Alexei Navalny possesses these qualities in abundance.The Kremlin has tried hard to neutralise him. Prosecutors have levelled a series of trumped-up criminal charges against him. State propagandists have amplified them, and added imaginary calumnies to the mix. Last year Russia’s security services slipped him a nerve agent in a botched attempt to murder him. Mr Putin no doubt hoped that after all this Mr Navalny would be scared into permanent exile. Instead, on January 17th, five months after falling into a coma and being evacuated to Germany on a stretcher, Mr Navalny boarded a low-cost airline called Pobeda (Victory) and flew back to Moscow.