Relocation protests

Muscovites on edge over plans

Moscow – Police in Moscow used force to break up a protest outside parliament against a controversial housing resettlement programme and detained about a dozen people yesterday, an independent monitoring group said.

Authorities in Moscow intend to resettle over one million citizens from decrepit Sovietera apartment blocks, which they plan to raze, into modern high-rise flats.

Protesters brandished copies of the Russian constitution, reflecting their concerns that their right to own and enjoy private property is under threat. Lawmakers have made several amendments to the legislation which they say address such fears and are aimed at better protecting people’s rights.

Witnesses saw policemen drag several people away, including Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of the opposition Yabloko party. The OVD-Info monitoring group, a nonprofit organisation, said 15 people had been detained.

The authorities deem protests held without obtaining their advance approval to be illegal.