INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
coronavirus lockdown measures in the early weeks of the pandemic, the state-run TASS news agency reported.Vadim Cheldiyev in April 2020
of North Ossetia, over concerns that the lockdown would cost many local jobs
region on Tuesday found Cheldiyev guilty of spreading calls for unauthorized mass protests and sentenced him to 10 years in a
incitement to "extremist" activity and participation in mass riots
The singer was also convicted for hitting a police officer during his arrest, a charge his lawyer has disputed.He had pleaded not guilty to
the charges.Activists Besolov and Chirkinov were also sentenced to eight and a half and eight years in a maximum-security prison,
respectively.All three defendants have the ability to appeal their sentences within 10 days.Cheldiyev returned to Vladikavkaz in 2019,
leaving behind a career at St
Petersburg's prestigious Mariinsky Theatre to start a charity to help the poor in his home city while continuing to perform
He has previously spoken out on political issues like police brutality and environmental concerns.Russia dropped its few remaining Covid-19
restrictions earlier this month.
