A Moscow court sentenced a poet on Thursday to seven years in prison for reciting verses against the Ukraine campaign during an anti-mobilisation protest last year.
Artyom Kamardin, 33, was sentenced alongside Yegor Shtovba, 23, who also took part in the protest and received a sentence of five years and six months.
The two were seen behind a glass partition in a heavily guarded courtroom.
Just before his sentencing, a smiling Kamardin recited a poem that refers to poetry as “gut-wrenching” and is often disliked by “people accustomed to order.”
After the sentence was read out, there were cries of “Shame!” from supporters in the courtroom, some of whom were later detained by police outside the court building, an AFP reporter stated.
Russian authorities have detained thousands for simple acts of protest against the offensive in Ukraine, with criticism effectively outlawed.
Kamardin said his detention was particularly violent, claiming that officers raped him and forced him to film an apology video while threatening his partner.
