MOSCOW, May 24 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) – The Tverskoy District Court of Moscow has sentenced a participant of an unauthorized March 26 rally in Moscow, Alexander Shpakov, to 1.5 years in a penal colony for violence against representative of authority, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Wednesday.

Shpakov has appealed the sentence. Lawyer Sergey Badamshin noted that the chosen punishment is too harsh and that in most cases like this courts usually resort to suspended sentences or fines. He added that reaction to the rally was too emotional and too cruel.

Earlier, the prosecutor has asked the court to sentence Shpakov to 2 years. The defendant has admitted his guilt in full and the case was heard under special procedure without reviewing the evidence. Shpakov apologized before the police officer; the latter accepted the apology and did not insist on prison term for the defendant.

Mother and daughter of Shpakov characterized him as calm, responsible and industrious person.

According to investigators, Shpakov punched a police officer in the face trying to open a door of a bus containing people arrested during the unauthorized rally on March 26.

Earlier, the court has sentenced another participant of the rally, Yury Kuliy, to eight months in a penal colony.

According to the Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry for Moscow, about 500 people were arrested on March 26 during the unauthorized rally. Overall number of people present in the area at the time was estimated at as high as 8,000 people. One of the police officers received injuries, a criminal case was launched over this incident.

According to the Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, arrested during the rally, Moscow authorities refused to greenlight the rally in the city’s center and proposed alternative areas only a day before it was to take place. Navalny said that in this case Russian legislation allows organizers to hold an event at the area, which was listed first.