Putin opponent Navalny arrested on way to rally for presidency bid

RUSSIAN opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested yesterday en route to the first of several planned rallies in regional cities where he planned to muster support for his bid to challenge Vladimir Putin for the presidency.

Two officers took Mr Navalny into custody in a car park at his Moscow home as he joked they were “catching a dangerous criminal,” according to an Instagram video he posted. He said he had been on his way to the train station.

The interior ministry said Mr Navalny had been charged with repeatedly violating the procedure for holding a public meeting, which can result in up to 30 days in jail. His lawyer said he had not been shown the charges and was being held illegally. In another Instagram video from a Moscow police station, Mr Navalny said he wouldn’t be able to make it to his rally in Nizhny Novgorod, a city 250 miles east of Moscow.

Authorities there banned the event this week and warned residents not to participate, even though activists said the city had previously offered them a square for the rally. On Thursday, the Nizhny Novgorod administration suddenly announced a cultural and sport festival the next day on the square where the Kremlin critic was to speak.

Although Mr Navalny has been barred from next year’s election due to a controversial embezzlement conviction, he has been pressuring the authorities to let him run by holding campaign rallies in provincial cities.