A Russian human rights activist was jailed for seven days on Saturday after authorities said he took part in illegal rallies in support of a police officer who made an online appeal for a probe into force corruption.

Vadim Karastelev was arrested in south Russia's Krasnodar on Friday over "participation in illegal gatherings and failure to obey the police officers who asked him to cease his illegal activity."

Karastelev denied the charges, saying he was handing out leaflets advertising a future rally in support of Alexei Dymovsky, who hit the headlines across Russia last September after he went online to accuse his bosses and colleagues of corruption.

He also appealed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to take action. The recording was posted on YouTube.com with English subtitles and drew international media attention.

Shortly after posting his claims, Dymovsky, from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, was fired for "libel and action that tarnishes the image of the police force."

Dymovsky was then arrested on January 22 on charges of fraud and abuse of office carrying a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

MOSCOW, February 20 (RIA Novosti)