Russian protest Navalny convictions Photos images

Russian opposition leader sentenced to five-year prison term

Alexei Navalny was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for theft, an unexpectedly tough punishment which supporters said proved President Vladimir Putin was a dictator ruling by repression.

Crowds gather

( Evgeny Feldman / Associated Press / July 18, 2013 )

People gather in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. Moscow's State Historical Museum and the Kremlin are in the background.

Russian opposition leader sentenced to jail

( Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press / July 18, 2013 )

People gather in Moscow support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. The Russian Parliament building is in the background. The harsh sentence is being called an obvious attempt to shut down a top foe of President Vladimir Putin and intimidate other opposition activists.

Opposition support

( Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press / July 18, 2013 )

People gather in Moscow in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison.

Protester detained

( Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press / July 18, 2013 )

Police detain a protester as people gather in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

In custody

( Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP / Getty Images / July 18, 2013 )

A protester detained by police gestures during a demonstration in central Moscow.

Alexei Navalny

( Associated Press / July 18, 2013 )

A police officer puts handcuffs on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after a trial in Kirov, Russia. Navalny was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison, a harsh ruling his supporters called an obvious attempt to shut down a top foe of President Vladimir Putin and intimidate other opposition activists.

Detained

( Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times / July 18, 2013 )

A protester is detained by police in downtown Moscow during a protest rally against the guilty verdict for opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Arrest

( Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times / July 18, 2013 )

Riot police arrest a protester during a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in downtown Moscow.

Protesters detained

( Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP/Getty Images / July 18, 2013 )

Police detain protesters in central Moscow as opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in a penal colony after he was found guilty of embezzlement in a timber deal.

Poster

( Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times / July 18, 2013 )

A detained protester holds a Navalny poster through the bars of a police van.