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Mikhail Kasyanov, Moscow, Russia

**Moscow Court Sentences Former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov**

**Kasyanov Convicted on Embezzlement Charges, Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison**

Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison on embezzlement charges by a Moscow court**. **

The court found Kasyanov guilty of stealing $1.7 million from the state budget between 1999 and 2002**. **

Kasyanov, who served as prime minister from 2000 to 2004 under President Vladimir Putin, has denied the charges and his lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict**. **

The charges against Kasyanov are widely seen as politically motivated**. **

Kasyanov has been a vocal critic of Putin since he left office in 2004**. **

He has accused Putin of corruption and authoritarianism, and has called for the Russian people to rise up against him**. **

The sentencing of Kasyanov follows a crackdown on Putin's political opponents**. **

In recent months, several other opposition figures have been arrested and charged with crimes**. **

Critics say Putin is trying to silence his critics and consolidate his power**. **

The international community has condemned the sentencing of Kasyanov**. **

The United States has called it a "politically motivated" attack on Putin's critics**. **

The European Union has said the sentencing is "a further erosion of the rule of law in Russia"**. **

The sentencing of Kasyanov is a blow to democracy in Russia**. **

It sends a clear message that Putin is not afraid to target his political opponents, even if they are former allies**. **

It is a reminder that Putin's Russia is not a free country**.