24-year-old found guilty in Bolotnaya Square protest case

A regional Moscow court has found defendant Ivan Nepomnyashchykh guilty for participation in mass riots and use of force against representatives of authority.

Nepomnyashchykh has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. State prosecutors had originally sought a 3.5 year prison sentence.

Nepomnyashchykh has already spent 8 months under house arrest, which should count against the prison sentence, says the head of the international human rights group Agora, Pavel Chikov.

The “Bolotnaya Case” relates to mass protests that took place on May 6, 2012, at Bolotnaya square in central Moscow. The protests, dubbed the “March of Millions” by its leaders, occurred in reaction to Vladimir Putin's re-election as Russian President in 2012. The protests were the largest political actions in Russia since the 1990s.

Police arrested the 25-year-old Ivan Nepomnyashchykh in February 2015, almost three years after the Bolotnaya Square protests. Case investigators say Nepomnyashchykh assaulted two police officers during the protests. State prosecutors have sought a 3.5 year prison sentence for Nepomnyashchykh.

The latest arrest in relation to the Bolotnaya Case was of Dmitry Buchenkov, an activist, early this December. He is also accused of participation in mass riots and use of force against police.

In total, more than 30 people have been arrested in the Bolotnaya Case. Several of this number have already been convicted and served their sentences.