EU says Russia's Navalny verdict seems 'politically motivated'

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union said a Russian court's conviction Tuesday of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his brother seemed to be politically motivated, while calling for restraint during any protests against the verdict.

"The guilty verdict delivered today... against Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg Navalny appears to be politically motivated," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

A Moscow judge found both Navalny and his brother Oleg guilty of embezzlement and sentenced them to three and a half years, but while Navalny's sentence was suspended, his younger brother, who is not involved in politics, was ordered to serve the time behind bars.

"The charges against them have not been substantiated during the trial," Mogherini spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said.

"The EU stresses the importance of judicial decisions to be free from political interference, independent, and in full compliance with the rule of law," she added.

After Navalny called for protests in Moscow against the verdict and authorities vowed to block them, Kocijancic said, "the EU expects that all parties concerned will show restraint."

A rally had been set for January 15, the original date of the verdict, but those plans were scrapped when authorities moved the ruling to Tuesday, with just a few hours warning, making it impossible to request authorisation for a protest at such short notice.

Kocijancic also said that apart from a few "selected representatives" of the media, public and international observers were barred from the court building to hear the verdict.