The distribution of pamphlets depicting the lavish lifestyles of Russian officials is legally on par with organizing an unsanctioned rally, a Magadan city court ruled Tuesday, news site MediaZone reported.
Activist Georgy Alburov, a member of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, was reportedly detained Friday with two other activists for handing out fliers in the far eastern city, where they had been campaigning for upcoming local legislative elections.
The fliers featured photos of opulent Moscow region mansions that the activists claimed belong to high-ranking government officials.
Though all of the activists were released shortly after their detention, Alburov was charged with having organized an unsanctioned rally.
He was convicted on Tuesday and ordered to pay a fine of 22,000 rubles ($400), according to MediaZone.
On Sunday another activist involved with the fund, Dmitry Taralov, was attacked by unknown assailants while shopping at a local market, Russian media reported.
The activists claimed that through the course of their time in Magadan, they were tailed by an unknown car.
Navalny himself has had numerous run-ins with the law, having been accused of embezzlement and fraud on numerous occasions. In December, a Moscow court gave Navalny a suspended sentence of 3 1/2 years, while his brother was given the same term in prison.
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