Anti-Putin activists held for reading constitution aloud

MOSCOW— At least 11 activists were detained on Moscow’s Red Square on Friday as they were reading Russia’s constitution out loud, a group that monitors protest activity said. OVD-Info, a website that tracks the detention of activists, said among the activists detained was Ildar Dadin, the first and only person in Russia to have served prison time for contravening a tough law clamping down on protests in the country. The activists were taken to a nearby police station. It remains unclear whether they could face charges. In a letter to his wife smuggled out from prison in November, Dadin alleged he had been tortured behind bars, as well as threatened with rape and murder.—

AP Putin takes part in ceremonies marking the end of World War II at the Red Square where activists had been arrested for reading the Russian constitution aloud.—