Russian riot police detained more than a hundred protesters gathered outside a Moscow courthouse on Monday, as seven individuals were jailed for their involvement in an anti-Putin rally in 2012.
Demonstrators shouted “maidan”—in reference to the anti-government protests in Ukraine that drove President Viktor Yanukovych from power—and “shame.” Many called for a rally to be held near the Kremlin in Moscow later on Monday.
The protests took place outside a Moscow court where eight individuals were convicted of rioting and attacking police during an anti-Putin rally in 2012. The defendants pleaded not guilty and blamed police for the clashes at the rally. Seven were sentenced to two and half to four years in prison, while an eighth was handed a suspended sentence for her involvement, reports the Associated Press.
Among those detained outside the courthouse included opposition figure Alexei Navalny and members of the anti-government punk band Pussy Riot.
[AP]