More Navalny supporters detained near Moscow court

Police made arrests in Moscow on Tuesday as Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny faced a court hearing that could end with him being sent to prison for years and fuel more protests against the Kremlin. The hearing was being held to consider whether the Russian opposition leader violated probation terms from a 2014 money-laundering conviction that is widely seen as politically motivated.

Navalny's team called for a demonstration Tuesday outside the Moscow court building but police were out in force near the building, cordoning off the nearby streets and making random arrests. More than 120 people were detained, according to the OVD-Info group that monitors arrests. Last month, Russia's prison service filed a motion to replace his 3 1/2-year suspended sentence from the conviction with one he must serve.

The Prosecutor General's office backed the motion alleging Navalny engaged in "unlawful conduct" during the probation period. Navalny's jailing has triggered massive protests across Russia over the past two weekends, in which tens of thousands took to the streets to demand his release, chanting slogans against Putin.

Police detained over 5,750 people during Sunday's rallies, including more than 1,900 in Moscow, the biggest number the nation has seen since Soviet times. Some were beaten. The jailing of Navalny and the crackdown on protests have stoked international outrage, with Western officials calling for his release and condemning the arrests of demonstrators.

(Image Credit: AP)