1,600 arrested in protests across Russia against Putin
More than 1,600 people – including prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny – were arrested Saturday in Russia during nationwide protests of the upcoming inauguration of Vladimir Putin for a new sixyear term as president, according to a group that monitors political repression.
Navalny, a longtime Putin nemesis and anti-corruption campaigner, organized the nationwide rallies under the slogan “He is not our czar” in response to the president’s re-election in March.
In Moscow, where thousands crowded into Pushkin Square, police in riot gear waded into the crowd and were seen grabbing some demonstrators and leading them away, but there were no immediate moves to disperse the protesters. A helicopter hovered overhead to monitor the crowd.
“Let my son go!” Iraida Nikolaeva screamed, running after police in Moscow when they detained her son. “He did not do anything! Are you a human or not? Do you live in Russia or not?”
Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from the square. He was to be charged with disobeying police, an offense that carries a sentence of up to 15 days, news reports said.
OVD-Info, an organization that monitors political repression, said late Saturday that more than 1,600 people had been detained at demonstrations in 26 Russian cities. It said 702 were arrested in Moscow alone, and another 232 in St. Petersburg.
Contributing: Associated Press