In one of Russia's most prominent trials concerning anti-Putin protesters, the authorities have shown that they will not tolerate protests against the ruling regime by sentencing seven defendants to penal colony terms, each from two-and-a-half to four years. The defendants were blamed for attacking police and inciting a riot, but rights groups have criticized the trial for being light on evidence and exceptionally heavy-handed. In Russia, less than one percent of defendants convicted of these charges are given sentences over a year in length.
