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Trial of “Organizers”

On June 21, 2013, Sergey Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front opposition movement, and Leonid Razvozzhaev, a Left Front activist, were charged with organizing mass riots. The trial against them opened on February 18. The investigation has alleged that they received foreign funding to stage mass riots on Bolotnaya Square to destabilize Russia. Razvozzhaev fled Russia in October 2012. On October 19, he disappeared while applying for political asylum in Ukraine. Two days later he was in police custody in Russia. He has alleged abuse in custody. Razvozzhaev has spent more than one and a half years behind bars. Udaltsov has spent more than six months under house arrest. If convicted, both activists face up to 10 years in prison.