The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked Russian authorities to clarify why an ecology activist in Sochi has been sentenced to three years in a penal colony.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on February 13 that Olympic organizers expect a response in the next day or two.
Yevgeny Vitishko, a vocal critic of the damage caused by the massive construction undertaken ahead of the Winter Olympics, was handed a three-year suspended sentence in 2012 for spray-painting the fence of a property in a forest where construction was banned.
In December, a court in Tuapse ruled that Vitishko should be sent to prison for violating his parole.
A court on February 12 upheld that decision.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the IOC to press Russian authorities to free Vitishko, while Amnesty International considers him a "prisoner of conscience."
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on February 13 that Olympic organizers expect a response in the next day or two.
Yevgeny Vitishko, a vocal critic of the damage caused by the massive construction undertaken ahead of the Winter Olympics, was handed a three-year suspended sentence in 2012 for spray-painting the fence of a property in a forest where construction was banned.
In December, a court in Tuapse ruled that Vitishko should be sent to prison for violating his parole.
Sochi: Outside The Arena
Sochi 2014: Outside The Arena
The true cost of Russia's first Olympics in more than three decades, and the most expensive games ever, goes well beyond the hefty $51 billion price tag. Read RFE/RL's Special Report.A court on February 12 upheld that decision.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the IOC to press Russian authorities to free Vitishko, while Amnesty International considers him a "prisoner of conscience."