The prosecutor in Russia’s western Smolensk region has said that a sentence against a prominent opposition activist is too harsh.
Taisiya Osipova, an activist from the Other Russia movement, was sentenced last month to eight years in a penal colony on drug dealing charges.
Osipova was arrested in November 2010.
Her lawyers say the case against her was manufactured in order to put pressure on her husband, Sergei Fomchenkov, a senior member of Other Russia.
The court handed Osipova a 10-year sentence in December.
The regional court in Smolensk ordered a new trial in February.
The European Parliament passed a resolution on September 13 condemning Russia’s use of its judiciary for political purposes, mentioning Osipova among Russian opposition activists being prosecuted because of their political views.
Russian Prosecutor Says Activists’ Sentence Too Harsh.