Yevgeny Vitishko, 40, had his suspended sentence turned into full jail term
Environmental activist had originally been convicted for vandalising fence
But judge ruled he has now violated the terms of the suspended sentence
Vitishko is one of the most prominent campaigners against Sochi Games
By JOHN HALL, The Daily Mail, 12.02.2014
A Russian activist who criticised the environmental impact of the Sochi Winter Olympics has been jailed for three years for spray painting a fence.
A judge in the southern city of Krasnodar ruled to convert an earlier suspended sentence for Yevgeny Vitishko, 40, into a full prison term after deciding he had broken the terms of the agreement.
Vitishko, a geologist, is a member of the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus activist group and one of the most prominent figures in a campaign to shed light on the environmental impact of Olympic construction in the city of Sochi.

Vitishko was originally convicted in June 2012 for being part of a group that caused over £2,000 damage to property linked to the regional governor of Krasnodar, Alexander Tkachyov.
He was given a suspended three-year jail term for the crime, which the court said was motivated by hooliganism.
+2
Ally: The governor of the Krasnodar region is a strong supporter of Vladimir Putin (pictured)
The governor of the Krasnodar region, which includes the city of Sochi, is a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is said to have been closely involved in the construction projects relating to the Games.
Vitishko was found guilty along with another activist Suren Gazaryan for breaking into a construction site in a forest in late 2011, where the pair claim to have found evidence that protected tree species were being logged.
The group were found guilty of spraying slogans, including ‘The forest is for everybody’ on a corrugated metal fence on the construction site.
In a separate court appearance last week, Vitishko was jailed for 15 days for allegedly swearing at a bus stop, although his lawyer said that no witnesses testified against him.
He gave evidence in the trial via video link from Tuapse, a town neighbouring Sochi where Vitishko is currently detained.
The Sochi Games, which run until February 23, are the biggest event to be held in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.
But they have been partially overshadowed by concerns over security, corruption, human rights and environmental issues.
The original publication