Hundreds detained as Russia sends anti-Putin activists to prison

[DonViejo]

Source: Agence France-Presse

By Agence France-Presse
Monday, February 24, 2014 16:34 EST

A Russian court on Monday sentenced seven activists to prison terms of up to four years over a protest against President Vladimir Putin as police detained hundreds of supporters outside.

A Moscow district court sentenced seven defendants to penal colony terms of between two-and-a-half and four years for what the judge ruled to be “mass riots” during a 2012 demonstration.

The high-profile case has become a symbol of the harsh crackdown on opposition protests since Putin returned to the Kremlin. The eight in the dock were found guilty of taking part in mass riots and hitting policemen at a rally against Putin’s inauguration to a third term as president.

“The sentences are harsh and inappropriate. They were issued based on the political situation, not on the nature of the charges,” lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said, adding that the group would appeal.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/24/hundreds-detained-as-russia-sends-anti-putin-activists-to-prison/

[SoapBox]

1. Surprise, surprise...

The day AFTER the Olympics closed.

Not.

Dictator Putin resumes normal operations.

[msanthrope]

2. I await the Snowden/Greenwald column on this. nt

[freshwest]

3. They can't. Their TV, radio, newpaper, magazine, phone and ISP services are on the fritz:

[msanthrope]

4. Greenwald's entire news service is on the fritz, apparently. nt

[freshwest]

5. Did Jane Hamsher refuse to send him his yearly supply of Cheetos, too?

I never understood what she was about in the wars over her on DU2. She gave me a bad feel in the videos I saw of her. What's the scoop on that?

If you know, that is. Saw a post a while back about Greenwald being employed by Hamsher, or something like that.

I tend to stay away from G.A.S. threads the way one avoids a flatulent dog.