Kremlin critic jailed after protest
RUSSIAN opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 15 days behind bars and fined yesterday after staging the biggest anti-corruption protests in years, an act the Kremiln branded a provocation.
The United States and the European Union have voiced deep concern after Navalny and more than 1 000 others were detained in the Moscow protest on Sunday, with the State Department describing the arrests as an affront to democracy.
A Moscow district court ordered Navalny to serve 15 days in jail after having found him guilty of disobeying police orders.
He was fined 20 000 roubles (R4 477) for having organised an unsanctioned protest.
The lawyer-turned-activist, 40, who has announced plans to run for president next year, called Sunday’s protests after publishing a report accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of non-profit organisations.
“The authorities are being accused of multimillion theft, but they remain silent,” Navalny said in court, insisting the protests were legal.
About 7 000 to 8 000 people demonstrated in Moscow on Sunday, according to police figures, making it one of the biggest unauthorised rallies in President Vladimir Putin’s 17 years in power.
The Kremlin called the protest a “provocation and a lie”, and claimed minors had been promised financial rewards to participate.
Demonstrations were also held in Saint Petersburg and a number of provincial cities. They attracted a significant number of minors.
“I am very happy that a generation that wants to be citizens, that isn’t afraid, was born in the country,” Navalny said.
He was arrested as he was walking to the Moscow protest and another 1 030 people were detained, according to OVD-Info, a website that monitors detentions of activists.
The vast majority were fined and released overnight, while about 120 remained in custody yesterday, OVD-Info said.