Russian anti-Putin star Alexei Navalny arrested, silenced

On Friday, a judge in Moscow sentenced Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and leading critic of President Vladimir Putin, to two months of house arrest for violating a travel ban when he left city limits to attend a protest rally. That's not such a big deal — Navalny is already serving a five-year suspended sentence for what are widely viewed as trumped-up embezzlement charges. But the judge also ordered Navalny to keep off the internet and phone, effectively silencing the country's leading opposition figure.

"Their only goal is to stop my political activities," Navalny told the courtroom. Navalny was recently introduced to a new audience of Americans through his appearance on The Daily Show.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.