Four anti-Putin protesters amnestied, two freed from jail

Moscow (AFP) - Four Russians accused of participating in mass riots one day before Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a third Kremlin term last year on Thursday have had their prosecution lifted, with two walking free from jail, activists said.

Vladimir Akimenkov and Leonid Kovyazin, both on trial for mass riots as part of the so-called Bolotnaya case launched over the anti-Putin protest on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square, walked free after spending over a year under pre-trial arrest.

Additionally, Nikolai Kavkazsky was ordered freed from under house arrest, while Maria Baronova had her limitation to travel from Moscow lifted, said RosUznik website that tracks the case.

All four were recipients of an amnesty that went into effect this week and specifically mentions people prosecuted on the charge of mass riots participation.

Tens of thousands of people protested on May 6, 2012 against the inauguration of Vladimir Putin as president for a third term. The protest ended with violence after the crowd clashed with police ranks.

Several dozen people were arrested after the protest, with 12 now on trial, including the four that were amnestied. Two people have already been convicted under the probe.

The Bolotnaya case was widely criticised by human rights activists, and Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said the charges were disproportionate.

Fourteen of the 27 people in the probe are in pretrial custody, 10 of them for more than a year. Eleven have fled the country, of which one person committed suicide in exile, Human Rights Watch said.

The Kremlin's amnesty, generally regarded by rights activists as a token gesture before the Olympic Games in February, is likely to affect four more people in the probe, including one currently in jail, according to RosUznik.