More than 1,000 demonstrators protesting against Russian President Vladmir Putin, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, were detained by the police across 20 cities on Saturday, 5 May.
OVD-Info, an organisation that monitors political repression, said late Saturday that at least 1,607 people had been detained at demonstrations in 20 Russian cities. It said 704 were arrested in Moscow alone, and another 229 in St Petersburg.
Thousands of people attended rallies on Saturday called by Navalny, in downtown Moscow and in St Petersburg, the two largest cities in the country, despite warnings from municipal authorities. Smaller demonstrations were held in close to 100 cities, although the police only acted against protesters where the marches had not been authorised by local authorities.
Arrests were reported in Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Yekaterinburg, Penza, Tver, Voronezh, as well as a dozen other cities.
The opposition demonstrations, organised by Navalny, who is Putin's most prominent foe, are being held across Russia on the eve of Putin's inauguration for a fourth term as president, several media reports stated.
Police in riot gear waded into the crowd on Pushkin Square and was seen grabbing some demonstrators, hitting them with batons and leading them away. Crowds, gathered at the spot shouted slogans like “Down with the Tsar” and “Russia without Putin”. Navalny was also arrested for protesting under the slogan, “He is not our tsar”.
Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs holding his limbs at Moscow's Pushkin Square. He is due to be sworn in for his fourth term as Russia’s President on 7 May.
The protests demonstrated that Navalny’s opposition, although considered beleaguered by Russian officials and largely ignored by state-controlled television, has sizeable support in much of the country.
I think that Putin isn’t worthy of leading this country. He has been doing it for 18 years and has done nothing good for it.Dmitry Nikitenko, demonstrator
“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?”
Putin is to be inaugurated for a new six-year term on Monday after winning re-election in March with 77 percent of the vote. Navalny had hoped to challenge him on the ballot but was blocked because of a felony conviction in a case that supporters regard as falsified in order to marginalise him.
Navalny has called nationwide demonstrations several times in the past year, and their turnout has rattled the Kremlin.
(With inputs from wires)
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