A Moscow court sentenced Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to two years and eight months in a penal colony, defying tens of thousands of his supporters who had rallied in his support since his return to Russia and Western governments who had urged for his immediate release.
Navalny, 44, was detained on Jan. 17 when he returned to Moscow from Berlin, where he had spent months recovering from a near-fatal poisoning attack in August he blames on President Vladimir Putin.
His arrest triggered mass protests across Russia, with supporters taking to the streets in more than 100 cities for unsanctioned rallies urging his release.
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WNU Editor: This is not going to end the protests.
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