MOSCOW, August 27 - RAPSI. On Monday, the Moscow City Court declared the arrest of Alexei Polikhovich lawful, the court's spokesperson told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

Polikhovich is suspected of having participated in the violent protests held in downtown Moscow on May 6.

The court has rejected the motion to change the status of his arrest to that of a non-custodial restraint measure.

Clashes with the police flared up on May 6 during an opposition march across Moscow, which had been officially sanctioned. Dozens of protesters and police officers were injured. The police detained over 400 rally participants.

After May 6, the opposition continued its protests in the form of "people's promenades" wherein crowds of opposition activists would stroll together peacefully through the city in a show of opposition. In June, investigators searched the homes of rally organizers and participants, including those of Alexei Navalny, Sergei Udaltsov, Ilya Yashin and Boris Nemtsov.

The charge launched against Polikhovich of involvement in mass unrest carries a maximum punishment of eight years in prison.

Investigators maintain that he tried to stop rioters from being detained, and in so doing, used physical force against police officers. Moscow's Basmanny District Court issued an arrest warrant for him on July 27.