A court in the Russian city of Sochi has jailed two activists supporting opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's presidential election campaign.
In an October 24 decision, the court in the Black Sea resort city ruled that Konstantin Gudimov and Olesya Khristosenko took part in unauthorized rallies and ordered them held in detention for 12 and eight days, respectively.
Navalny, a foe of President Vladimir Putin, is campaigning for Russia's March 2018 presidential election despite a statement from the Central Election Committee that he cannot run because of a conviction in a financial-crimes case that he says was politically motivated.
Navalny and his supporters held protests across Russia on October 7, Putin's 65th birthday, in defiance of the Kremlin's warning that organizers of unsanctioned public gatherings will be prosecuted.
Putin, who has strengthened Kremlin control over Russia's political system over 18 years in power as president or prime minister, is widely expected to seek and secure a new six-year term in the upcoming election.
