The Gagarinsky District Court of Moscow upheld on Monday the administrative arrest ranging from five to twelve days of the Ukrainian Femen movement activists, who were detained for stripping at a Moscow polling station on Sunday, lawyer Violetta Volkova told.
She said the court shrugged off the defense's arguments that the act of stripping was politically motivated, and considered it an act of exhibitionism.
The court also dismissed the defense's motion for lighter charges against the activists.
The incident occurred at a polling station at the Russian Academy of Sciences where presidential candidate Vladimir Putin voted. Three FEMEN activists stripped to the waist and chanted anti-governmental slogans.
Putin won a "clean" victory on Sunday with 63.65 percent of the vote after 99.8 percent of election commission protocols were counted. Gennady Zyuganov from the Communist Party secured 17.18 percent, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov got 7.92 percent, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky gained 6.22 percent, and Sergei Mironov, A Just Russia Party leader, 3.85 percent.
The Femen group, which originated in Ukraine, has expanded its activities to other countries as well. Their stunts always feature the same signature piece - they show up topless in any circumstances and in any weather.