By RFE/RL's Russian Service

A court in Yekaterinburg sentenced mathematician Azat Miftakhov on March 28 to four years in prison on a charge of justifying terrorism, which he and his supporters reject. Miftakhov, 31, was arrested in September immediately after he served almost six years for involvement in an arson attack against the offices of the ruling United Russia party. Miftakhov also rejected the charges in that case. Miftakhov, who has been recognized by U.S., European, Japanese, and other Russian mathematicians, said at the time that he had been tortured by investigators. The Memorial human rights group has recognized Miftakhov as a political prisoner.