Russians sentenced to 4 ½ years on riot conviction

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court convicted two Russian opposition activists and sentenced them to 4 ½ years in prison Thursday for their role in organizing protests a day before President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in May 2012.

Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev were sentenced for organizing mass riots and colluding to commit a crime. They both pleaded not guilty in a trial that has dragged on since October 2012, when they were detained and put under house arrest. Prosecutors requested had eight years in prison for each.