Romanians march to protest persistent govt corruption Russia: 1 dead, 3 detained in operation against IS cell
Thousands of protesters have marched through the Romanian capital of Bucharest to support the country’s anti-corruption authority and demand that state institutions be free of political interference.
Protesters blew whistles and vuvuzelas, and waved Romanian and U.S. flags as they gathered Sunday evening in Victory Square, where the government has its offices, and marched toward the Parliament.
They yelled: “Romania, wake up!” and “We want justice, not corruption!” It was the latest in weeks of anti-government, anti-graft protests in Romania.
The massive protests were sparked by a now-rescinded government decree to decriminalize some forms of official misconduct. The center-left government still plans to introduce the measure as a draft law in Parliament, however.
Protesters have pledged to bring about a new era in Romanian politics.
Russian authorities say one person has been killed and three others detained in an operation to break up a sleeper cell of the Islamic State in the country’s restive southern region of Dagestan.
The National Anti-terrorism Committee said the operation took place Sunday in the city of Derbent, on the Caspian Sea near the border with Azerbaijan.
The committee said in a statement that one militant was killed by police after they blockaded his house and he opened fire. Three others were arrested at other locations.
Mainly Muslim Dagestan is the principal breeding ground for Islamic militants in Russia, and the regions sees regular attacks on Russian police and officials. Russia fought two separatist wars in the neighboring province of Chechnya after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
— The Associated Press