A court in Moscow fined on Monday a RIA...
Andrei Stenin was detained on December 12, 2009, while photographing an unsanctioned protest in front of the president administration"s building that RIA Novosti had officially assigned him.
The court ordered the journalist to pay a 500-ruble (about $17) fine. It said Stenin was among the protesters who were standing in line holding 81/2 x 11 sheets of paper with letters which all together formed the phrase "Respect the Constitution!" in Russian.
Stenin has denied the charges. He said he was performing his professional duties but not taking part in the demonstration when he was detained.
The journalist"s lawyers showed the judges Stenin"s pictures he took during the demonstration proving he could not have been standing in the protest.
However, the court said it "did not confide" in the provided evidence.
"The judge relied completely on evidence provided by police, who I didn"t even have a chance to see while I was being detained," he said.