Russian authorities on Wednesday requested a long prison term for a former regional governor who is on trial on murder charges and whose arrest two years ago sparked mass protests that lasted for weeks.
The prosecutor has asked a Moscow region court to sentence Sergei Furgal, former governor of Russia’s far eastern Khabarovsk region, to 23 years in prison on charges of murder, attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking. . Earlier this month, a jury panel found Furgal guilty on all counts.
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Russian authorities are seeking a long prison term for their former governor Sergei Furgal. The former governor is being tried for murder, attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking.
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Furgal, a former businessman, was arrested in July 2020 on suspicion of involvement in murders and taken to jail in Moscow. He denied the charges, which his supporters said were revenge on his rivals.
After his arrest, thousands of protesters have regularly demonstrated in Khabarovsk, a city of 600,000 near the Chinese border, with attendance peaking on weekends. They protested Furgal’s imprisonment and demanded that his trial be held in the city.
Authorities did not disperse the protests, which lasted for weeks before finally fizzling out.
