Former Russian mayor who encouraged pro-Navalny protests is jailed

The former mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city, Yekaterinburg, is in jail after a court on Wednesday found him guilty of using social media to encourage protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Reuters reported.

Yevgeny Roizman was charged by Russian authorities for using Twitter to organize an illegal rally for Navalny, a jailed former Russian presidential candidate who is one of the most high-profile critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Roizman has been known to be an outspoken critic of the government, using Twitter to denounce Russian authorities. 

Roizman, who served as mayor of Yekaterinburg for five years, resigned from his position in 2018 after authorities moved to scrap mayoral elections in the city of 1.5 million in the industrial belt of the Ural Mountains. 

Police in the country have stepped up their crackdowns on protesters calling for the release of Navalny, who has been imprisoned since February. Police have detained thousands of pro-Navalny protesters in 2021. 

Roizman also will serve 30 hours of community service, according to Reuters.