Man jailed for spitting on Putin's portrait

Moscow, May 30 (IANS) A man in Russia has been sentenced for 15 days in prison for spitting on President Vladimir Putin's portrait, RIA Novosti reported.

Dmitry Karuyev, an opposition activist who is a member of the Other Russia movement, was detained as he staged one-man protest outside the offices of the ruling United Russia party in Cheboksary city on the eve of Putin's May 7 inauguration for a third term.

Police said Karuyev's actions could have triggered disorder.

"He did indeed spit on it, but it was just his way of expressing his views," Karuyev's lawyer Alexei Glukhov said. "You cannot punish people for that."

Karuyev, however, told regional media that he had "sneezed, not spat" on the portrait, which he had brought along to the protest.