Russia opens new criminal case against Navalny

MOSCOW, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Russia sharply escalated a campaign against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, opening a new criminal case against President Putin’s fiercest domestic critic that could allow the authorities to hand him another decade in jail.

In a case condemned by the West, Navalny, 45, is already serving two-and-a-half years in prison for parole violations he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions.

His allies have had their homes raided, their freedom of movement restricted, or fled abroad after a court in June ruled their activities to be extremist and designed to stir up social unrest.

The new case, details of which were published on the website of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which looks into major crimes, named Navalny as being suspected of founding and leading an extremist group.

Such a crime carries a punishment of up to a decade in jail.