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Bolotnoye Activist to Appeal Prison Sentence, Lawyer Says

Dmitry Ishevsky

An activist convicted for participating in the anti-Kremlin Bolotnaya protests that gripped Moscow in 2012 has filed an appeal against his prison sentence, according to his lawyer.

Dmitry Ishevsky's defense is seeking to have his sentence of three years and two months in prison reduced or commuted to one that would not involve jail time, lawyer Dmitry Dubovinin said, the RAPSI news agency reported Monday.

In exchange for a fast trial, Ishevsky, 31, had pleaded guilty to participating in mass riots and using force against police officers, and was last week handed down a prison term for his part in the demonstrations, Russian media reported.

Hundreds of people were detained and 29 have been charged in connection with the protests on Moscow's Bolotnaya Ploshchad in 2012 that marked one of the biggest public demonstrations of discontent with President Vladimir Putin's rule.

Among those who faced charges, 11 were pardoned under a large-scale presidential amnesty marking the 20th anniversary of Russia's Constitution last December.

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