Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the anti-Kremlin Left Front movement and a long-time anti-government protester, said a court had barred from him participating in any political events for the next three years.
Udaltsov is serving the final days of a month-long sentence for allegedly desecrating portraits of people who resemble heads of state during a demonstration against a controversial proposal to raise the retirement age. During his detention, the Left Front leader went on a hunger strike. He was due to go free Thursday, but a court has added 4.5 days (112 hours) to his sentence to account for time missed while in the hospital.
“The court handed me a sentence of 3 years on administrative supervision with the following restrictions: a ban on attending and participating in political events, a travel ban outside the Moscow region, and a visit with probation officers twice a month,” Udaltsov tweeted Thursday.
He cited a police representative warning that the activist will also be “forbidden from visiting cinemas, theaters, children’s parties and birthdays.”
Udaltsov also said on Twitter that his defense team will appeal the decision, which he argues is “aimed at excluding me from political activity.”
The Moscow City Court is due to hear Udaltsov’s appeal on Friday afternoon against his extended sentence for the days he was hospitalized.
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