A riot police officer in St. Petersburg has been given a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence for beating a protester at an anti-government rally last year, in a rare case of police brutality being punished.
Vadim Boyko called protesters at the rally on July 31, 2010, “ferrets,” and asked: “Who wants more?” as he beat an activist over the head with his baton.
Video footage of the incident spread virally over the Internet.
State prosecutors had asked for Boyko to be jailed for four years.
Boyko claims the charges against him are “fabricated.”
Police have been more lenient over the past two weeks, as post-election protests continue across Russia.
Some police officers at recent rallies in Moscow were reported to have joined in with the protesters' chants.
The ruling United Russia party won the December 4 elections amid widespread allegations of ballot-stuffing in their favor.
