Russia hands Navalny ally parole-like sentence over protests

A court in Moscow has sentenced a close ally of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 1 1/2 years of parole-like restrictions

MOSCOW -- A court in Moscow on Tuesday sentenced a close ally of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 1 1/2 years of parole-like restrictions in a controversial criminal case the government launched against opposition supporters after mass protests shook Russia this year. The court found Lyubov Sobol guilty of inciting people to violate coronavirus restrictions and for the next 18 months barred her from leaving her home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., attend mass events or travel outside Moscow and its outlying region. She was also ordered to check in with police three times a month, her lawyer Vladimir Voronin said. He added that because Sobol had already spent nearly six months under house arrest and other restrictions, the sentence will only remain in place for about a year. The case against Sobol and several other Navalny allies was launched shortly after nationwide protests over his arrest and jailing rocked Russia all across its 11 time zones on Jan. 23.