A Russian court has sentenced prominent regime critic Sergei Udaltsov to 240 hours' labor for causing bodily harm.
Interfax news agency reported that Udaltsov, 35, was found guilty of hitting a young activist in April, on the sidelines of a rally in the city of Ulyanovsk, 900 kilometers east of Moscow.
Rights activists said the trial was politically motivated as part of efforts to silence the leaders of recent protests against President Vladimir Putin.
Udaltsov, who plans to appeal the sentence, said, "This is no trial, it's a scandal."
Interfax news agency reported that Udaltsov, 35, was found guilty of hitting a young activist in April, on the sidelines of a rally in the city of Ulyanovsk, 900 kilometers east of Moscow.
Rights activists said the trial was politically motivated as part of efforts to silence the leaders of recent protests against President Vladimir Putin.
Udaltsov, who plans to appeal the sentence, said, "This is no trial, it's a scandal."