More than 600 people are believed to have been arrested in Moscow during a protest against the exclusion of some opposition candidates from an upcoming election to the city council.
Russian police cracked down hard Saturday on demonstrators in central Moscow, beating some people and arresting hundreds of others. Police also stormed into a TV station broadcasting the protest.
Police wrestled with protesters around the mayor’s office, sometimes charging into the crowd with their batons raised. OVD-Info, an organization that monitors political arrests in Russia, said 638 people were detained.
Moscow police earlier said 295 people had been taken in, but did not immediately give a final figure.
Over 600 people have been arrested in Moscow during a protest against the exclusion of some opposition candidates from an upcoming election to the city council. Pictured: A tearful boy clings to a woman as police move to crush the protest
Russian police cracked down hard Saturday on demonstrators in central Moscow, beating some people and arresting hundreds of others
Along with the arrests, several opposition activists who wanted to run for the council were arrested throughout the city before the protest.
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail for calling for the unauthorized gathering Saturday in the heart of the Russian capital.
The protesters, who police said numbered about 3,500, shouted slogans including ‘Russia will be free!’ and ‘Who are you beating?’ One young woman was seen bleeding heavily after being struck on the head.
The protesters, who police said numbered about 3,500, shouted slogans including ‘Russia will be free!’ and ‘Who are you beating?’
People take part in an unauthorized rally in support of rejected Moscow City Duma candidates held by Russian opposition in central Moscow, Russia
Along with the arrests, several opposition activists who wanted to run for the council were arrested throughout the city before the protest
Police wrestled with protesters around the mayor’s office, sometimes charging into the crowd with their batons raised. OVD-Info, an organization that monitors political arrests in Russia , said 638 people were detained
Helmeted police barged into Navalny’s video studio as it was conducting a YouTube broadcast of the protest and arrested program leader Vladimir Milonov.
Police also searched Dozhd, an internet TV station that was covering the protest, and its editor in chief Alexandra Perepelova was ordered to undergo questioning at the Investigative Committee.
Before the protest, several opposition members were detained, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry Gudkov and top Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov.
There was no immediate information on what charges the detainees might face.
Once a local, low-key affair, the September vote for Moscow’s city council has shaken up Russia’s political scene as the Kremlin struggles with how to deal with strongly opposing views in its sprawling capital of 12.6 million
The protesters, who police said numbered about 3,500, shouted slogans including ‘Russia will be free!’ and ‘Who are you beating?’ One young woman was seen bleeding heavily after being struck on the head
A riot police officer holds up an injured man with his camera still around his neck after he suffers a blow to the head during the protests earlier today
The city council, which has 45 seats, is responsible for a large municipal budget and is now controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for grabs in the September 8 vote
Once a local, low-key affair, the September vote for Moscow’s city council has shaken up Russia’s political scene as the Kremlin struggles with how to deal with strongly opposing views in its sprawling capital of 12.6 million.
The decision by electoral authorities to bar some opposition candidates from running for having allegedly insufficient signatures on their nominating petitions had already sparked several days of demonstrations even before Saturday’s clashes in Moscow.
The city council, which has 45 seats, is responsible for a large municipal budget and is now controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for grabs in the September 8 vote.
A protestor waves the Russian national flag as he is escorted away from the crowd at an unsanctioned rally in central Moscow
Helmeted police barged into central opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s (pictured) video studio as it was conducting a YouTube broadcast of the protest and arrested program leader Vladimir Milonov (stock photo)