Navalny supporters gather for demo in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG. Dec 30 (Interfax) - Supporters of Alexei Navalny convened for a demonstration in St. Petersburg to protest a suspended prison sentence passed on the Russian opposition activist on Tuesday on charges of large-scale fraud and money laundering.
Followers of Navalny began to organize the demonstration through online social networks after he and his brother Oleg Navalny were convicted on Tuesday of defrauding the Yves Rocher firm and Multi-Profile Processing Company of large sums of money and laundering it.
Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky Court gave Alexei Navalny a suspended sentence of three and a half years but slapped a three-and-a-half-year jail term on his brother.
Police took tight security measures in central St. Petersburg before the demonstration, which was held on Malaya Sadovaya Street, a usual site of public protests, and put up barricades in front of the Gostiny Dvor shopping center. Police reinforcements were posted in the city center.
Protesters began to arrive at Malaya Sadovaya Street around 7 p.m. but were taking no action. No slogans were chanted or banners unfurled. Nor did the police urge the demonstrators to disperse, even though there was no official permission for the event.