Russia's Alexey Navalny "just a horrible skeleton" in 1st court appearance since prison hunger strike

Moscow — Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny appeared in court on Thursday for the first time in months, and he looked worse for the wear. Attending a hearing in a Moscow court via video link from a prison compound dozens of miles from the capital, the fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin looked thin after a recent hunger strike.

Last week the 44-year-old politician ended his three-week hunger strike after finally being examined by non-prison doctors after weeks demanding independent medical treatment for a number of complaints.  The hearing on Thursday was on Navalny's appeal of his February conviction on defamation charges for insulting a Russian World War II veteran.