(Moscow) On Sunday past, tens of thousands of people answered the call by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and took to the streets in over 80 cities and towns across the land in which to protest at the corruption written into the DNA of Russian politics.
The Russian authorities denied permission for the rallies. Police arrested those who were holding posters or chanting, and also on occasion simply swept random people off the street. 1,030 people were detained in Moscow alone. About 120 remained in custody on Monday morning. The majority of those released were charged with the minor offence of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration and are likely to be fined.
Navalny himself was jailed and given a 20,000-rouble (£280) fine by a Moscow court for disobeying police orders and organising the protests,
Navalny has declared his intention to run for president next year, an election in which the president, Vladimir Putin, is expected to stand for, and almost certainly win, a new six-year term.
The protests were held over an investigation into the current Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's alleged corruption. Navalny’s team released a video alleging Medvedev had amassed a collection of mansions, yachts and vineyards - a fortune that far outstripped his official salary.
Locations of protests with numbers who attended |
Pushkin Square ,Moscow |
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UPDATE: Russian court fines anti-Kremlin activist @navalny 20,000 Rubles for organizing an illegal demonstrationhttps://t.co/Cq9omp8yBP pic.twitter.com/MS6C5Nwjry— Conflict News (@Conflicts) 27 March 2017
Navalny has declared his intention to run for president next year, an election in which the president, Vladimir Putin, is expected to stand for, and almost certainly win, a new six-year term.
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VIDEO: Russian police detaining anti-corruption protesters - @ksnchkpic.twitter.com/l1droRCjwy— Conflict News (@Conflicts) 26 March 2017
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VIDEO: Anti-corruption protestors chant "Russia without Putin" in central Moscow today - @olacichopic.twitter.com/o0mRjy7HiZ— Gissur Simonarson (@GissiSim) 26 March 2017
The protests were held over an investigation into the current Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's alleged corruption. Navalny’s team released a video alleging Medvedev had amassed a collection of mansions, yachts and vineyards - a fortune that far outstripped his official salary.
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Protests across Russia mark the coming of age of a new adversary for the Kremlin: https://t.co/z6PYwerqLL pic.twitter.com/Vocxhcac39— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) 28 March 2017