Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Russian Blogger's Final Words at Trial Resonate Beyond Courtroom

Mike Eckel - RFE/RL

   In the swirl of protests in Moscow this summer against a political
   system that many deem repressive, an eloquent 21-year-old political
   science student stood out.

   Yegor Zhukov, who studies at Moscow's prestigious Higher School of
   Economics, has drawn a sizable audience on his YouTube channel.In a
   series of [1]video blogs,he has railed against President Vladimir
   Putin, promoting opposition protests across the country.

   Zhukovwas arrested before dawn on August2. Since then, his videos have
   garnered hundreds of thousands of views--more than 300,000 as
   ofThursday.

   Sentencing set for Friday

   Zhukov now faces up to four years in prison, the sentence prosecutors
   have requested for charges of inciting extremism online. He is
   scheduled to be sentenced Friday at the Kuntsevo District Court in
   western Moscow.

   He was initially charged with mass unrest as a result of his
   participation in the protests. But amid an outcry from student
   supporters, prosecutors reclassified the case against him.

References

   1. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyG-tDEysAL_dy1l4XHa1A

.