Moscow activist Ildar Dadin has been sentenced to three years at a penal colony for “repeatedly” breaking Russian protest laws, despite the prosecution calling for a two-year sentence, the MediaZona news service reported Monday.
A skirmish broke out between court ushers and activists present at the hearing after the sentence was announced, the report went on to say.
Dadin had turned up with two bundles containing his personal belongings, and blue and yellow ribbons attached to his clothing — an allusion to his frequent participation in anti-war and pro-Ukrainian demonstrations.
He had previously been threatened with 10 years in prison after allegedly striking a policeman who detained him and fellow activists walking along Moscow's Arbat street with a banner reading: “Hitler also went after gays first. Say no to fascism in Russia,” in October 2013.
In July the same year, he was detained after protesting against Russia's “gay propaganda” laws, ostensibly introduced to protect minors, in front of the Central Children's Library in Moscow.
He is the third person to be convicted for “repeated breaches of laws regulating the organization and carrying out of gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets” since it was made a criminal offense in July 2014.
