A district court has sentenced Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to nearly three years in prison. The sentencing has managed to fuel further protests across the nation, with demonstrators calling on the immediate release of the political leader.

Navalny was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by the Simonovky District Court Wednesday. He was accused of violating his parole for a conviction made in 2014.

Protests against Navalny’s arrest began right after he arrived in Russia following a months-long stay abroad to recover from a poisoning allegedly conducted by a group tied to the Russian Federal Security Service.

 Since the protests began, thousands of protesters and journalists have been arrested. Over the weekend, local reports said that at least 5,000 protesters were arrested – including 2,000 people in Moscow.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the arrest and Navalny’s conviction. Trudeau said that he “strongly condemns” the conviction and called for his immediate release and those of the arrested protesters and journalists.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the same sentiments and said that Russia should be held accountable for violating the rights of its citizens. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also asked for Navalny’s immediate release, adding that Russia should be looking for his attackers instead of punishing him.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Russia’s actions were against its international commitments and that it should work to protect its people’s freedoms.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, asked the international community to stay out of the country’s affair and “deal with their own problems.”