Opposition ally sentenced to 18 months of restricted freedom over pro-Navalny protests – Yahoo News

A Moscow court sentenced a Russian opposition leader Tuesday to 18 months of restricted freedom over her role in organizing last winter's mass pro-Alexey Navalny protests, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: Lyubov Sobol's sentencing is part of a wider crackdown by the Russian government on Navalny's allies, several of whom are slated to stand trial on the same charges as Sobol, Reuters reports.

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The big picture: The court found Sobol guilty of inciting people to break coronavirus restrictions by calling on people to come out and protest, per AP.

For a year and a half, Sobol will be banned from leaving her apartment between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and attending mass events. She will also be required to check in with police three times a month, AP reports.

Sobol is one of Navalny's closest allies and has worked with him since 2011. She was previously a lawyer for his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which was banned as an "extremist organization" by the government this past April.

Sobol has called the charge "politically-motivated nonsense," per Reuters.

She was placed under house arrest six months ago, leaving the possibility that her sentence could last only a year, according to her lawyer, per AP.

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Opposition ally sentenced to 18 months of restricted freedom over pro-Navalny protests - Yahoo News