Russian high court bans radical party

MOSCOW, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Russia's Supreme Court Tuesday upheld a lower court ban on the radical National Bolshevik Party, charged with involvement in extremist activities.

The earlier ruling in June had ordered the Bolsheviks to disband for also violating registration procedures, Russia news agencies reported.

The party appealed the ban, claiming it was a politically motivated Kremlin attempt to silence dissent. The party, led by controversial writer Eduard Limonov, is believed to have several thousand followers and has been known to organize opposition protests. Some of the activists are facing trial on criminal charges.