The Moscow City Court has rejected an appeal against the conviction of eight Bolotnaya protesters imprisoned after a politically motivated trial. In February of this year, eight of those who had taken part in the protest stood trial and were convicted of participation in “mass riots” and, separately, of using violence against public officers. Andrey Barabanov, Yaroslav Belousov, Sergey Krivov, Denis Lutskevich, Aleksey Polikhovich, Artiom Saviolov and Stepan Zimin were sentenced to prison terms. Aleksandra Dukhanina received a conditional sentence. The court ruled on June 20 to reduce the sentences of Sergey Krivov and Yaroslav Belousov to three years and nine months, and two years and three months, respectively. However, the sentences of the other defendants remained unchanged. Before their sentencing most of the protesters had already spent around one and a half years in detention. Amnesty International considers six of them prisoners of conscience, individuals imprisoned solely for peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of assembly and expression.