A Moscow court on Monday commuted the four-year sentence of Konstantin Kotov, an activist found guilty of violating a controversial protest law during anti-Kremlin demonstrations last summer. Kotov, 35, was handed four years in prison in September for violating a law against participating in multiple protests. Monday's decision saw the previous ruling "cancelled" and his term reduced to one year and six months in a prison colony, according to Russian news agencies. Kotov was handed one of the heaviest sentences for taking part in rallies in Moscow last summer demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to participate in municipal elections. Russia's Constitutional Court in January ordered a review of the case, which rarely happens in Russia. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his supporters organised a wave of protests over the summer after popular opposition politicians and independent candidates were barred from standing in the Moscow parliament election, prompting a police crackdown. The protracted protests over several weeks were the largest anti-Kremlin demonstrations in nearly a decade. Several protesters were handed heavy prison terms for allegedly assaulting police. jbr/mm/jxb/pma