Navalny supporters defy threats
A Moscow court has put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months, as authorities try to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.
Navalny’s supporters have called for rallies across Russia today to demand his release. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country last weekend to protest his January 17 arrest and 30-day detention.
The anti-corruption investigator and critic of President
Vladimir Putin’s government was arrested upon returning from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.
He was jailed for 30 days after Russia’s prison service alleged he had violated the probation terms of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money-laundering conviction, which Navalny has rejected as politically motivated.
As part of government efforts to stem the protests, police detained Navalny’s brother; his top ally, Lyubov Sobol; Oleg Stepanov, the head of Navalny’s Moscow office; Dr Anastasia
Vasilyeva from Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors; and Maria Alekhina from the Pussy Riot punk collective. A Moscow court yesterday put them under house arrest until March 23, as requested by investigators.
Nearly 4000 people were reportedly detained at last weekend’s protests, and some were given fines and jail terms. In Moscow, over 1600 people have been charged, and 154 received jail terms ranging from seven to 15 days. the
As part of a multipronged effort by the authorities to discourage people from attending today’s demonstrations, the prosecutorgeneral’s office has ordered state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor to block calls to join the protests on the internet.
The office and the Interior Ministry have also issued stern warnings to the public not to join the protests, saying participants could face criminal charges of taking part in mass riots if the rallies turn violent, with possible prison sentences of up to eight to 15 years.
Moscow police said pedestrian movement would be restricted in the city centre, and subway stations in the vicinity of the planned protest site would be closed. Restaurants and stores in the area also will be closed.
Appearing in court via video link, Navalny on Friday denounced the criminal proceedings against him as part of a government campaign to intimidate the opposition. ‘‘You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by that government,’’ he said.