A court in the North Caucasian republic of Ingushetia has sentenced a policeman to two years in jail for the killing of opposition website owner Magomed Yevloyev, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The court ruled that former Interior Ministry official Ibragim Yevloyev (no relation to the victim) is guilty of negligent murder in the 2008 killing.
Yevloyev was not in court for the verdict and his whereabouts are not immediately known.
A representative for Magomed Yevloyev's family said he disagrees with the court verdict and will appeal against the sentence after consulting with Magomed Yevloyev's father.
Magomed Yevloyev was a prosecutor in Ingushetia before moving to Moscow, where he set up the independent website ingushetiya.ru in 2001 (now ingushetia.org).
The website reported on corruption and abuse within Ingushetia's government.
Yevloyev was killed by a gunshot wound to the dead on August 31, 2008 while being taken by security forces from Ingushetia's Magas airport to a police station for interrogation.
Investigators insist that Magomed Yevloyev was killed accidentally.
Human rights groups have said they believe Yevloyev's killing was premeditated.
The court ruled that Ibragim Yevloyev will serve his sentence in a prison camp, which is considered to be less restrictive than a normal prison.