Russian opposition leader sentenced to five-year prison term

A protester is detained by police in downtown Moscow during a protest rally against the guilty verdict for opposition leader Alexei Navalny.   (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

A detained protester holds a Navalny poster through the bars of a police van.  (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

People gather in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. Moscow’s State Historical Museum and the Kremlin are in the background.  (Evgeny Feldman / Associated Press)

Police detain protesters in central Moscow as opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in a penal colony after he was found guilty of embezzlement in a timber deal.  (Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP/Getty Images)

A protester detained by police gestures during a demonstration in central Moscow.  (Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP / Getty Images)

Police detain a protester as people gather in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.  (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press)

People gather in Moscow in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison.  (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press)

People gather in Moscow support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny who was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. The Russian Parliament building is in the background. The harsh sentence is being called an obvious attempt to shut down a top foe of President Vladimir Putin and intimidate other opposition activists.   (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press)