Sergei Furgal, a former governor of Khabarovsk in Russia, was on Friday (February 10) sentenced to 22 years in prison for allegedly organising two murders. Speaking to the news agency AFP, a spokesperson for the Moscow Regional Court said that Furgal, 52, was sentenced for attempted murder and organising the killing of two businessmen in Russia's far east nearly 20 years ago. His lawyers, meanwhile, said, that they would appeal the sentencing and seek his acquittal.&nbsp;

"We consider the sentence to be passed unlawfully. Today, the judge had a final chance (to influence the sentence). According to the law, he had the right to reject the jury's verdict, acquit or dismiss the jury and schedule a new court hearing. Moreover, this decision could have not been appealed. The judge, Gennady Alexeyevich Tsoi did not avail himself of that right. In fact, he confirmed an unlawful – we can say it now – jury verdict," Boris Kozhemyakin, a lawyer for Furgal, said, reported Reuters.&nbsp;

Earlier in February, a jury found Furgal guilty of organising two murders and one attempted murder. A&nbsp;member of the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party, Furgal won a surprise election victory in 2018 when he rode a wave of anti-Moscow sentiment to oust a sitting pro-Kremlin governor.&nbsp;

In July 2020, Furgal was arrested while he was serving as Khabarovsk's governor and his detention sparked massive protests in the city. Tens of thousands of people in Khabarovsk to the streets for weeks before the rallies eventually stopped. Smaller protests took place in nearby cities and towns, including Komsomolsk-on-Amur and the Pacific port of Vladivostok in the next-door Primorsky Krai region, the AFP report said.&nbsp;

Furgal's supporters called for a fair trial for him and not in Moscow, where he has been held since his arrest. The report added that the protests were unprecedented for almost any Russian city outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg.&nbsp;

The supporters also said that the charges were politically motivated to punish him for taking too independent a line from Moscow.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Sergei Furgal, a former governor of Khabarovsk in Russia, was on Friday (February 10) sentenced to 22 years in prison for allegedly organising two murders. Speaking to the news agency AFP, a spokesperson for the Moscow Regional Court said that Furgal, 52, was sentenced for attempted murder and organising the killing of two businessmen in Russia's far east nearly 20 years ago.

Sergei Furgal, a former governor of Khabarovsk in Russia, was on Friday (February 10) sentenced to 22 years in prison for allegedly organising two murders. Speaking to the news agency AFP, a spokesperson for the Moscow Regional Court said that Furgal, 52, was sentenced for attempted murder and organising the killing of two businessmen in Russia's far east nearly 20 years ago. His lawyers, meanwhile, said, that they would appeal the sentencing and seek his acquittal. "We consider the sentence to be passed unlawfully. Today, the judge had a final chance (to influence the sentence). According to the law, he had the right to reject the jury's verdict, acquit or dismiss the jury and schedule a new court hearing. Moreover, this decision could have not been appealed. The judge, Gennady Alexeyevich Tsoi did not avail himself of that right. In fact, he confirmed an unlawful – we can say it now – jury verdict," Boris Kozhemyakin, a lawyer for Furgal, said, reported Reuters. Earlier in February, a jury found Furgal guilty of organising two murders and one attempted murder. A member of the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party, Furgal won a surprise election victory in 2018 when he rode a wave of anti-Moscow sentiment to oust a sitting pro-Kremlin governor. In July 2020, Furgal was arrested while he was serving as Khabarovsk's governor and his detention sparked massive protests in the city. Tens of thousands of people in Khabarovsk to the streets for weeks before the rallies eventually stopped. Smaller protests took place in nearby cities and towns, including Komsomolsk-on-Amur and the Pacific port of Vladivostok in the next-door Primorsky Krai region, the AFP report said. Furgal's supporters called for a fair trial for him and not in Moscow, where he has been held since his arrest. The report added that the protests were unprecedented for almost any Russian city outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The supporters also said that the charges were politically motivated to punish him for taking too independent a line from Moscow. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia: Ex-Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal sentenced to 22 years in prison

Furgal, the Khabarovsk region governor, was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was put in jail for two months.

Protests continue in Russia for the release of governor Sergei Furgal

President Vladimir Putin named a new acting governor to head Russia`s Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk on Monday after the previous regional head was arrested on murder charges, sparking a wave of protests.

At least 10,000 people demonstrated in Khabarovsk on Saturday to demand Moscow release Sergei Furgal, a member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) who won election in 2018 after beating a rival from the ruling pro-Putin party.

Furgal, born in Russia`s Far East, was detained on July 9 and flown to Moscow to face charges over the murder and attempted murder of multiple businessmen 15 years ago. He denies wrongdoing.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-protests-over-arrest-of-regional-governor-in-moscow-314379">Also watch|&nbsp;Russia: Protests over arrest of regional governor in Moscow</a>

Protests broke out soon afterwards and have continued for over a week. Their size is unusual for Russia`s regions, as is the fact that the authorities have not yet moved to break them up.

Putin on Monday formally removed Furgal from his post and appointed Mikhail Degtyaryov, 39, a lawmaker and also an LDPR member, to take over as the acting head of the region, according to a decree published on the Kremlin website.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elite-club-russia-secretly-tested-its-coronavirus-vaccine-among-the-affluent-as-early-as-april-314557">Also read|&nbsp;Elite club: Russia secretly tested its coronavirus vaccine among the affluent as early as April</a>

The Kremlin has so far publicly played down the protests which have highlighted anger among some in the Far East over what they see as policies emanating from detached federal authorities located in Moscow seven time zones to the west.

The unrest also comes less than three weeks after Russians voted to back a set of sweeping reforms clearing the way for Putin to run for two more presidential terms, potentially remaining in the Kremlin until 2036 rather than stepping down in 2024.

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, whose allies in the region have backed the demonstrations, cast Degtyaryov as a detached Kremlin appointee whose selection he predicted would fail to appease protesters.

Khabarovsk will hold regional elections to choose a fully-fledged new governor in September next year, Russia`s election commission said.

President Vladimir Putin named a new acting governor to head Russia`s Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk on Monday after the previous regional head was arrested on murder charges, sparking a wave of protests.

President Vladimir Putin named a new acting governor to head Russia`s Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk on Monday after the previous regional head was arrested on murder charges, sparking a wave of protests. At least 10,000 people demonstrated in Khabarovsk on Saturday to demand Moscow release Sergei Furgal, a member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) who won election in 2018 after beating a rival from the ruling pro-Putin party. Furgal, born in Russia`s Far East, was detained on July 9 and flown to Moscow to face charges over the murder and attempted murder of multiple businessmen 15 years ago. He denies wrongdoing. Also watch| Russia: Protests over arrest of regional governor in Moscow Protests broke out soon afterwards and have continued for over a week. Their size is unusual for Russia`s regions, as is the fact that the authorities have not yet moved to break them up. Putin on Monday formally removed Furgal from his post and appointed Mikhail Degtyaryov, 39, a lawmaker and also an LDPR member, to take over as the acting head of the region, according to a decree published on the Kremlin website. Also read| Elite club: Russia secretly tested its coronavirus vaccine among the affluent as early as April The Kremlin has so far publicly played down the protests which have highlighted anger among some in the Far East over what they see as policies emanating from detached federal authorities located in Moscow seven time zones to the west. The unrest also comes less than three weeks after Russians voted to back a set of sweeping reforms clearing the way for Putin to run for two more presidential terms, potentially remaining in the Kremlin until 2036 rather than stepping down in 2024. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, whose allies in the region have backed the demonstrations, cast Degtyaryov as a detached Kremlin appointee whose selection he predicted would fail to appease protesters. Khabarovsk will hold regional elections to choose a fully-fledged new governor in September next year, Russia`s election commission said.

Putin names new governor of restive Russian region hit by protests

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Russia: Ex-Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal sentenced to 22 years in prison

Protests continue in Russia for the release of governor Sergei Furgal

Putin names new governor of restive Russian region hit by protests