Alexei Navalny Sentenced to 30 Days Administrative Arrest

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to 30 days’ administrative arrest for repeatedly violating the law on staging rallies.

Earlier on June 12, Alexei Navalny, 41, was detained at his home in Moscow, ahead of anti-corruption demonstrations in Russia.

Hundreds of people were held during the gatherings across Russia.

A court in Moscow announced its verdict, rejecting demands by Alexei Navalny‘s defense lawyers to drop the case.

Alexei Navalny later confirmed this on his Twitter page.

The opposition leader, who intends to stand for the Russian presidency in 2018, had been due to attend the unauthorized rally in Moscow on June 12.

OVD-Info, an independent NGO, said that 825 people had been detained at the protest in the capital.

Police in Moscow say about 5,000 took part in the demonstration there, Interfax news agency reports.

OVD-Info also said that hundreds of people were held in St Petersburg.

The Russian interior ministry says about 3,500 people attended the protest in the north-western city, and 500 were detained.