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Court Upholds Udaltsov Sentence

A Moscow court on Saturday upheld a 10-day jail sentence for opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov, which sparked a public outcry — ruling only after he had already served the full term, RIA-Novosti reported.

Udaltsov's lawyers said they would appeal the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights, Interfax reported.

Udaltsov was arrested on Dec. 25 and charged with disobedience. The arrest immediately followed his release from jail, after he served a 15-day sentence on a separate charge during which Udaltsov went on a hunger strike.

His legal team requested the next day that the Tverskoi District Court cancel the verdict as illegal, but a hearing was postponed until Jan. 7 — after his term in detention had already ended.

Udaltsov was unable to attend Saturday's hearing, citing poor health, and was represented in court by his lawyers.

Udaltsov was set free on Jan. 4 from a hospital where he was taken for treatment of symptoms related to his hunger strike.

The judge ruled that the opposition activist's sentence was served in full as he was under police supervision while in the hospital, Gazeta.ru reported.

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