Russian courts handed out some of the longest sentences to opposition protesters since rallies began this summer. The demonstrators are demanding free and fair elections in a Moscow legislative vote.
Image: Reuters/T. Makeyeva
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A Moscow court handed prison sentences to two more opposition protesters on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people jailed over recent anti-government demonstrations to four.
Kirill Zhukov, 28, was sentenced to three years in prison for attacking a police officer.
Investigators said Zhukov hit a police officer during an unsanctioned protest on July 27, causing the officer "physical pain." A video circulated widely on social media showed Zhukov lifting up the visor of a National Guard officer.
Thousands participated in an unauthorized march in Moscow to protest the exclusion of candidates from the city's local election, which will take place next week.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/M. Grigoryev
Weekly protests
Protesters gathered in Moscow to reject the barring of some opposition and independent candidates from the Moscow City Council election on September 8. For the past month, demonstrators have shown their discontent on a weekly basis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/M. Grigoryev
Freedom for political prisoners
Opposition politician Alexei Navalny's team organized the demonstration. The opposition leader was just recently released from a 30-day jail sentence for holding unsanctioned protests. In addition to rallying for banned candidates, marchers were also seen holding placards demanding freedom for political prisoners
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sputnik/E. Biyatov
Demands 'right and reasonable'
Lyubov Sobol (right), an associate of Navalny and one of those whose candidacy had been rejected, took part in the demonstrations. "Our demands are right and reasonable. We have significant support, we have the right to be on the ballot," Sobol said. "I want political rights of Muscovites to be respected."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Biyatov
Unauthorized assembly
The police have been criticized for their handling of the protests, which have seen some 2,000 people arrested. This time, officers did not try to detain protesters, but asked them to leave through loudspeakers. The march, like many, had not been authorized to take place, a legal requirement in Russia in recent years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/S. Fadeichev
High political tension in Russia
Some clashes took place at the march between demonstrators and others seeking to disrupt the demos. Moscow's city council has relatively little power and its election does not usually garner this much attention. But the candidates' disqualification touched a nerve with citizens' frustration with their country's restrictive politics.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/TASS/S. Fadeichev
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Another Moscow court sentenced 48-year-old Yevgeny Kovalenko to three and a half years in prison for throwing a garbage can in the direction of police officers during the same protest.
Investigators accused Kovalenko of grabbing a police officer by the bullet-proof vest while others were being detained. Kovalenko denied the charges, saying he was attempting to assist other protesters to avoid violent detentions.
Protests over a September 8 local election in Moscow are the biggest the country's seen in years, and the jail terms handed down to the protesters are some of the harshest since protests erupted earlier this year.
Kirill Zhukov, charged with assaulting a police officer during an unauthorized rally in Moscow on July 27, 2019, during the verdict announcement in MoscowImage: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Vasilyev
The opposition has denounced the jail terms, saying that the sentences were clearly disproportionate.
The charges come a day after two other people were sentenced for attacks on police at the July 27 unsanctioned protest demanding free and fair elections.
Police briefly detained more than 1,400 people at the protests over the summer and launched criminal investigations.
