#ian bateson

[newsdock]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court on Friday placed opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for at least two months and barred him from using the Internet or speaking to the media. Navalny, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and a leader of anti-Kremlin protests in 2011-2012, denounced the ruling as baseless and said it was meant to silence him. (Reporting by Ian Bateson; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Elizabeth Piper) Source: Reuters

[newsdock]

By Thomas Grove and Ian Bateson MOSCOW (Reuters) - Seven opponents of President Vladimir Putin were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two and a half to four years on Monday over a demonstration that turned violent, and riot police detained over 100 people protesting outside the court. The protesters, who blame police for the violence in central Moscow in 2012, demanded the release of the defendants and shouted "shame" and "Maidan" - a reference to the Kiev square that has been the focus of protests that brought the overthrow of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Relatives and lawyers had feared upheaval in neighbouring Ukraine, where police were among the dead in a conflict the Kremlin blames on opposition leaders and the West, would prompt the court to send a firm signal by imposing prison sentences. Opposition activists said more than 230 people were detained by riot police who worked their way through the gathering at the courthouse, detaining protesters one by one. Source: Reuters