JURIST - Paper Chase: Russia court sentences Bolshevik activists to prison for 'hooliganism'

[JURIST] The Tagansky District Court in Moscow on Monday sentenced seven members of the banned National Bolshevik Party [party website, in Russian] to prison for "armed hooliganism." The sentences ranged from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years. The charges stem from an April 2006 protest outside the Tagansky District Court, in which Bolshevik demonstrators clashed with pro-Kremlin youth while the Tagansky court considered whether the National Bolshevik Party should be banned. Defense lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said he would appeal the case to [the European Court of Human Rights [official website] in Strasbourg. AP has more. The Moscow Times has local coverage.

In April 2007, a Moscow City Court judge heard arguments [JURIST report] on whether to grant the chief prosecutor's request to label the National Bolshevik Party as an extremist organization and ultimately outlawed the party [Reuters report]. Prosecutors had requested the ban [JURIST report], which entails a mandatory suspension of party activity, in March 2007.

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