BRUSSELS, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The European Union finds the sentencing of Russian anti-Putin activists to prison to be disproportionate, a spokesperson for policy chief Catherine Ashton said.
A court in Moscow sentenced seven activists Monday to up to four years in jail and an eighth to probation. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported they were convicted of rioting and assaulting police officers during protests in 2012.
A spokesperson for Ashton said Monday the sentences were severe when compared with the charges.
"The charges brought against them and their sentences seem disproportionate in light of the nature of the events and the offenses they are accused of," the statement read.
Charges stemmed from a May 2012 demonstration in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square. The rally was one of several large-scale protests organized against Russian President Vladimir Putin's appointment to a third non-consecutive term in office.
Putin since returning to power has enacted legislation that human rights group say is meant to silence his critics.
Amnesty International said Monday authorities in Russia arrested 234 protesters gathered outside the Moscow court awaiting the verdicts of the Bolotnaya defendants. The rights organization said the arrests were arbitrary and a "rampant violation of freedom of expression and assembly."
