MOSCOW, December 24 (RAPSI) – Moscow’s Tagansky District Court on Tuesday fined opposition activists Lyubov Sobol, who had been denied registration as Moscow City Duma election candidate, 300,000 rubles (about $5,000) for breaching rules of holding mass rallies in the city in August, RAPSI learnt from the court’s press service.

Two equal fines were imposed on Sobol for the organization of two rallies on August 10 and August 31.

Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations.

The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commission’s building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts.

Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and in August in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result.

Several of participants of unauthorized rallies have been already sentenced to jail. Several others have been cleared of charges.