MOSCOW, September 25 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court has upheld a 2.5-year prison sentence for Stanislav Zimovets, a participant of the unauthorized March 26 rally in Moscow, found guilty of attacking a police officer, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom on Monday.

The court dismissed an appeal filed by the defendant’s lawyer insisting on Zimovets’ innocence.

According to prosecution, Zimovets threw a stone at a police officer during the rally. As a result, lieutenant-colonel Vladimir Kotenov received an injury. Police seized a nonlethal pistol and a knife during his arrest.

Earlier, the court ruled in three other similar cases related to the rally. Yury Kuliy was sentenced to 8 months in penal colony settlement, Alexander Shpakov received 1.5 years and Andrey Kosykh was sentenced to 4 years in prison. All three defendants pleaded guilty.

According to police, about 500 people were arrested on March 26 during the unauthorized rally. Overall number of people present in the area at the time was estimated at as high as 8,000 people.

The Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, arrested during the rally, claimed that Moscow authorities refused to greenlight the rally in the city’s center and proposed alternative areas only a day before it was to take place. Navalny said that in this case Russian legislation allows organizers to hold an event at the area, which was listed first.