MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Moscow’s Tverskoi District Court has found opposition blogger Alexei Navalny guilty of arranging an unauthorized protest in downtown Moscow in January 2018, sentencing him to 30 days of administrative arrest, a TASS corresponded reported from the courtroom.
"The Court hereby finds Navalny guilty of violating Article 20.2.8 of the Russian Administrative Code (repeated violation of rules for arranging and conducting public gatherings) and sentences him to 30 days of administrative arrest," the Court’s judge said.
The blogger’s defense attorney told TASS that an appeal would be filed against the ruling.
Police recorded an administrative offence on Navalny’s part following the January protest. In February, the Tverskoi District Court twice returned the case to police, demanding that errors made while preparing documents for hearings be corrected. Those found guilty of violating the article in question may face a fine of 150,000 to 300,000 rubles ($2,200 to $ 4,400) or an arrest of up to 30 days.
On August 25, police officers detained Navanly outside his home, taking him to a police station where he remained until the court hearing.
On May 15, the Tverskoi District Court handed Navalny 30 days of arrest for arranging an unauthorized protest in Moscow on May 5. On the same day, he was sentenced to 15 days of arrest for disobeying police orders.