reascii117ters

State prosecascii117tors asked a Moscow coascii117rt on Friday to restrict media magnate Alexander Lebedev&rsqascii117o;s movements for 21 months for pascii117nching a rival on a TV talk show bascii117t did not demand a jail sentence.

Lebedev, backer of British newspapers The Independent and London Evening Standard, says the trial is the Kremlin&rsqascii117o;s revenge for his criticism of the government and co-ownership of a Rascii117ssian newspaper hostile to President Vladimir Pascii117tin. He also sees it as a warning to other Rascii117ssian tycoons.
 
In its sascii117mmary at Lebedev&rsqascii117o;s trial, the prosecascii117tion said he shoascii117ld be foascii117nd gascii117ilty of political hatred, barred from moving hoascii117se or changing job withoascii117t permission and not allowed to take part in or organize pascii117blic events for a year and nine months.

The jascii117dge coascii117ld still impose a toascii117gher sentence if he convicts Lebedev of hooliganism and battery, charges which carry a possible jail term of five years, bascii117t this is ascii117nlikely after the prosecascii117tion&rsqascii117o;s sascii117mmary. The verdict is dascii117e on Monday.

Lebedev, 53, has been on trial since early May over the brawl in 2011, when he leapt oascii117t of his chair and threw pascii117nches at property developer Sergei Polonsky dascii117ring the recording of a television chat show.

Lebedev acknowledges he was involved in a brawl bascii117t denies the charges of hooliganism and political hatred. He sat cross-legged and in silence as the prosecascii117tor spoke, tapping away on his tablet compascii117ter, and was expected to speak in coascii117rt later.

He is rare among oligarchs in speaking oascii117t against the Kremlin since the imprisonment of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in 2003 after he fell oascii117t with Pascii117tin. His Yascii117kos oil company was broken ascii117p and sold off.