Russian activist Konstantin Kotov has been sentenced to 4 years after a court convicted him of “multiple breaches” of Russian protest law, making him the second person ever to be prosecuted under the controversial legislation. The clause in the Russian Criminal Code punishing repeat violations of public demonstration rules became known as Ildar “Dadin’s article” after the first activist who was sentenced under it in 2015. The activist was released in 2017 when Russia's Supreme Court decided that charges against him should be dropped. Judges ruled at the time that while the law was legal under the Russian constitution, it should only be used against protesters who "posed a threat" to society.

The Tverskoy District Court sentenced Kotov to 4 years in a prison colony after finding him guilty of taking part in multiple unsanctioned protests in 180 days, the Mediazona news website reported. His trial reportedly took two days. Prosecutors had asked for Kotov, 34, to be imprisoned for 4.5 years. Kotov denied his guilt in his closing arguments Wednesday.