In new demonstrations in Russia for the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny and against President Vladimir Putin, more than 2,100 people had been arrested by Sunday afternoon, according to human rights activists. The Owd-Info portal initially listed more than 470 arrests for the capital Moscow alone. It was expected that the numbers would continue to rise. In other cities as well, such as St. Petersburg in the north of the country and Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, 200 demonstrators each were initially in police custody.
The security forces in heavy gear were sometimes brutal. In the metropolis of St. Petersburg, the police reportedly used tear gas and stun guns. An officer threatened with his gun. Photos from Kazan on the Volga about 700 kilometers east of Moscow showed several demonstrators who had to lie in front of police officers on a house wall in the snow.
The journalists’ union spoke of an initial 50 media representatives arrested. They were taken into police custody even though they could have ID. According to Nawalny’s team, there were campaigns in around 100 cities across the country on Sunday for the release of the opposition and against corruption.
The authorities had arrested prominent representatives of Nawalny’s team in advance. Many journalists were also taken into custody. The hope of the power apparatus was to bring the protests to a standstill by imprisoning the leaders of the opposition. People protested anyway.
Navalny had been arrested at a Moscow airport exactly two weeks ago, right after his return from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poison attack for five months. The 44-year-old blames President Vladimir Putin and the domestic secret service FSB for the crime. Putin and the FSB know that.
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
USA condemn “brutal tactics”
The US government sharply criticized the crackdown on the Russian authorities. “The US condemns the continued use of brutal tactics against peaceful demonstrators and journalists by the Russian authorities for the second week in a row,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Twitter. “We renew our call to Russia to release those imprisoned for exercising their human rights, including Alexei Navalny.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of interfering in internal affairs. The US embassy in Moscow had previously listed exact meeting points and times for demonstrations. Washington is promoting unauthorized protests and wants to try to keep Russia “in check,” the ministry wrote on Facebook.
Navalny’s wife Julia arrested in Moscow
Navalny’s wife Julia Navalnaya was arrested again in Moscow. The 44-year-old had previously published a photo of herself on the street on Instagram. In another entry with a family photo, she criticized the fact that her husband was imprisoned for daring to survive the assassination attempt with the chemical warfare agent Novichok. She had already been temporarily arrested during protests a week ago.
Navalnaya also complained that Alexey’s brother Oleg Navalny had been taken into custody as a “hostage”. “If we remain silent, then tomorrow they will fetch each of us.” She accused President Putin of determining the fate of people at will – he decides “who is locked up and who is poisoned”. When Nawalnaya was arrested, supporters criticized the fact that she was arbitrarily taken away by the police, as the Internet channel Doschd showed.
In Moscow, after the city center was closed, people gathered at various points to form protest marches. A train with thousands went to Moscow’s number one remand prison – popularly known as the sailor’s quiet. Navalny is in custody there.
The security forces blocked the access to the prison. The place was considered the most heavily guarded in Moscow. There have been protests and numerous arrests at the prison over the past week. Navalny’s team, which partly controlled the protests via social networks, said that Navalny should hear the calls of his supporters in his cell. Many people shouted: “Freedom for political prisoners!” And “Freedom for Alexej Navalny!”. (dpa)
