MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - The trial of 12 opposition activists accused of attacking police and inciting mass riots at last year’s rally against President Vladimir Putin was adjourned Wednesday after one of the defendants demanded a new judge.
The 12 defendants were among tens of thousands of protesters that rallied on the Bolotnaya square outside the Kremlin on May 6, 2012, one day before Putin was sworn in for a third presidency.
The authorities have said that more than 400 protesters were detained after allegedly injuring dozens of police officers and pelting them with pieces of asphalt.
Opposition and human rights groups said, however, that police deliberately blocked thousands of people in a confined space, provoking the violence.
Defendant Nikolai Kavkazsky, a leftist activist and lawyer who faces up to eight years in jail, said Wednesday that the judge unlawfully extended his arrest by six months. Nine more defendants had their arrest prolonged.
The trial was adjourned for a week.
A total of 25 people face up to ten years in jail as part of the “Bolotnaya case” trial. Two others have confessed and been given sentences of up to 4 .5 years in jail.
Kremlin critics say the trial marks a milestone in Putin’s crackdown on dissent as it targets average protesters. In the months before the trial started, Kremlin-controlled TV networks ran shows that accused several opposition leaders of organizing riots using foreign money.
