MOSCOW, April 25 (RAPSI) - Dmitry Buchenkov, who stands charged with participation in the riots on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow on May 6, 2012, has pleaded not guilty, RAPSI learnt in the Zamoskvoretsky District Court on Tuesday.

In October 2016, final charges were brought against the defendant. He stands accused of participating in mass riots and attacking persons in a position of authority. There are 6 charge counts and 7 victims in the case against him, his lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina told RAPSI earlier.

His attorneys insist that he was out of Moscow on the day of riots. According to defense lawyers, Buchenkov has an alibi.

Initially, Buchenkov was put in jail.  In March, the Moscow City Court replaced his detention with the house arrest.

Over 400 people were arrested and scores were injured in the authorized Bolotnaya Square protest that turned violent in May 2012. Dozens were later charged with inciting mass riots and battery against law enforcement officers.

Riot organizers Leonid Razvozzhayev and Sergey Udaltsov were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison each. Other defendants in the case received prison terms ranging from suspended sentences to four years. Several defendants were pardoned; one is undergoing compulsory mental treatment.

The convicts’ supporters believe that the riots were provoked by police.