[caption id="attachment_117134" align="aligncenter" width="976"]
A face off between the Police and protestors[/caption]
More than 1,500 people were detained on Sunday (31 January) by Russian Police as thousands of activists took to the streets across the country demanding Alexey Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, be released from jail.
International media reported that more than 1,500 people had been detained – and some in brutal fashion – throughout the country. The previous week's protests, which were the largest seen in Russia since the mass protests for free and fair elections held between 2011 and 2013, saw thousands of Russians participated in demonstrations in more than 100 cities throughout the country. Those protests saw 4,000 people detained.
The Moscow rally took place outside the headquarters of the Federal Security Service, Russia’s main security agency. The location of the protests is significant, as Navalny has said that the Federal Security Service carried out the near-fatal poisoning attack on the orders of Putin. However, with movement around the city heavily restricted, Moscow’s rally yesterday was smaller than the estimated turnout of 40,000 last week.
Despite authorities ramping up pressure on the opposition with arrests, Navalny aides called for new nationwide demonstrations ahead of Navalny’s trial set to start on Tuesday (2). Navalny, a 44-year-old anti-corruption activist, fell into a coma after a poisoning in Siberia last summer, recovered in Germany, flew home to Moscow two weeks ago, and was arrested at passport control.
Navalny is accused of not complying with a suspended sentence. Russian authorities say he was supposed to report to the Police regularly because of a suspended sentence for embezzlement. Navalny has denounced his detention as "blatantly illegal", saying the authorities knew he was being treated in Berlin for the Novichok poisoning, which happened in Russia last August.
Police closed seven metro stations in Moscow and restricted movement in the city centre, an unheard-of move in recent years disrupting the core of a metropolis of 13 million people. Police officers asked cafe owners to turn off their Wi-Fi, a sign that the Government was preparing to limit mobile internet access later in the day, according to reports.
Yesterday’s protests, similar to a week ago, started in Russia’s Far East and swept across the vast nation of 11 time zones, with demonstrations scheduled for noon in cities and small towns alike.
Police conducted a series of raids this week at apartments and offices of Navalny’s family, associates, and anti-corruption organisation. His brother Oleg, top aide Lyubov Sobol, and three other people were put under two-month house arrest on Friday (29), as part of a criminal probe into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during last weekend’s protests.
Sergei Smirnov, Editor of the Mediazona news site that was founded by members of the Pussy Riot punk collective, was detained by the Police upon leaving his home on Saturday (30). The independent online media outlet said Smirnov was held on suspicion of taking part in a protest in Moscow last weekend, while the RIA news agency said he faces a court hearing on 3 February. He could face up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 roubles or compulsory labour.
Photo (c) Reuters
A face off between the Police and protestors[/caption]
More than 1,500 people were detained on Sunday (31 January) by Russian Police as thousands of activists took to the streets across the country demanding Alexey Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, be released from jail.
International media reported that more than 1,500 people had been detained – and some in brutal fashion – throughout the country. The previous week's protests, which were the largest seen in Russia since the mass protests for free and fair elections held between 2011 and 2013, saw thousands of Russians participated in demonstrations in more than 100 cities throughout the country. Those protests saw 4,000 people detained.
The Moscow rally took place outside the headquarters of the Federal Security Service, Russia’s main security agency. The location of the protests is significant, as Navalny has said that the Federal Security Service carried out the near-fatal poisoning attack on the orders of Putin. However, with movement around the city heavily restricted, Moscow’s rally yesterday was smaller than the estimated turnout of 40,000 last week.
Despite authorities ramping up pressure on the opposition with arrests, Navalny aides called for new nationwide demonstrations ahead of Navalny’s trial set to start on Tuesday (2). Navalny, a 44-year-old anti-corruption activist, fell into a coma after a poisoning in Siberia last summer, recovered in Germany, flew home to Moscow two weeks ago, and was arrested at passport control.
Navalny is accused of not complying with a suspended sentence. Russian authorities say he was supposed to report to the Police regularly because of a suspended sentence for embezzlement. Navalny has denounced his detention as "blatantly illegal", saying the authorities knew he was being treated in Berlin for the Novichok poisoning, which happened in Russia last August.
Police closed seven metro stations in Moscow and restricted movement in the city centre, an unheard-of move in recent years disrupting the core of a metropolis of 13 million people. Police officers asked cafe owners to turn off their Wi-Fi, a sign that the Government was preparing to limit mobile internet access later in the day, according to reports.
Yesterday’s protests, similar to a week ago, started in Russia’s Far East and swept across the vast nation of 11 time zones, with demonstrations scheduled for noon in cities and small towns alike.
Police conducted a series of raids this week at apartments and offices of Navalny’s family, associates, and anti-corruption organisation. His brother Oleg, top aide Lyubov Sobol, and three other people were put under two-month house arrest on Friday (29), as part of a criminal probe into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during last weekend’s protests.
Sergei Smirnov, Editor of the Mediazona news site that was founded by members of the Pussy Riot punk collective, was detained by the Police upon leaving his home on Saturday (30). The independent online media outlet said Smirnov was held on suspicion of taking part in a protest in Moscow last weekend, while the RIA news agency said he faces a court hearing on 3 February. He could face up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 roubles or compulsory labour.
Photo (c) Reuters