A Russian court has sentenced seven people to up to four years in jail for a 2012 protest against Vladimir Putin, sparking riots outside the court and mass arrests.

Andrei Belousov, a 22-year-old student, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail. Investigators accused Belousov of throwing an "unidentified yellow object of spherical shape" at police during the protest. He stated it was a lemon.

Al Jazeera's Phil Lavelle reports.