A Moscow court sentenced Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin to ten days in jail for disobeying police orders during Wednesday’s opposition rally in central Moscow.
Yashin was arrested among some 30 people during a “people’s stroll” protest which gathered hundreds of opposition activists at central Kudrinskaya Square on Wednesday evening.
The activists moved to the square after a Moscow court outlawed their tent camp at central Chistye Prudy neighborhood on Tuesday. More than 20 camping protesters were detained earlier on Wednesday for refusing to clear the site.
Several activists were arrested at Kudrinskaya Square later in the day when they neglected a police demand to shut down an improvised buffet at the site. More arrests followed when activists, including Yashin, briefly blocked a nearby road, surrounding paddy wagons and demanding the release of those detained.
The protesters accused police of stealing their food and a moneybox with some 200,000 rubles ($6,400). Police denied theft allegations and said the protesters did not have the right to distribute food in the streets.
Another six activists were detained on Thursday for distributing food at the square.
Two other opposition figureheads, anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny and Left Front movement leader Sergei Udaltsov, have been jailed for 15 days for disobeying police orders.
Despite police crackdowns, the activists intend to continue their 24/7 rally until mid-June.