Opposition activist Andrei Pivovarov, sentenced to an unprecedented 14-day jail term for staging an unsanctioned rally in St. Petersburg, was freed Thursday, Interfax reported.
Pivovarov, who heads the St. Petersburg branch of Mikhail Kasyanov’s Russian People’s Democratic Union, was sentenced Tuesday over his actions at the Aug. 31 rally. The group’s spokeswoman had said the unexpectedly harsh ruling indicated a new crackdown on dissent by the authorities.
But the court let him walk free because of administrative violations during his arrest, supporters said.
Pivovarov still faces a retrial at an as-yet undetermined date.
(MT)
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