Protests and Arrests in Russia After APTVA Commemoration in Moscow

APTVA commemoration in Moscow this morning

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 10:43

More than a hundred people were arrested in Russia yesterday at memorial rallies for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. This is reported by human rights organization OVD-info. Arrests were made in Moscow and St. Petersburg, among others. People have also been arrested in six other cities.

Authorities last night warned against attending protests or vigils in Moscow. According to Russian prosecutors, there was no consultation with the authorities and participants could therefore be arrested.

Images on social media show, among other things, the arrest of a woman in Moscow. She held up a paper with the text ‘Aleksey Navalny died today’. She was taken away by the police.

Navalny honored in Russian cities, police arrest people

Flowers laid in Navalny’s honor were removed in several places. According to OVD information, this was done by unknown persons, while the police watched. In Novosibirsk, police stopped people who wanted to commemorate Navalny. In another Siberian city, Surgut, there were arrests.

In Moscow, flowers were laid at a monument to the politically oppressed at the headquarters of the Russian secret service FSB. There were dozens of flowers last night, all of which were removed last night. This morning people came to lay flowers again.

Cause of death investigated

Little is still known about the circumstances of Navalny’s death. Yesterday, Russia’s prison system said Navalny felt unwell during a walk and lost consciousness in the prison in the Siberian village of Charp, about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) northeast of Moscow. The cause of death “remains under investigation,” according to the prison.

There is no evidence that Navalny actually died during the walk. The day before yesterday he was on screen during a court hearing, and he seemed fit. His mother saw him in prison last week and said Navalny was healthy at the time and radiated zest for life.

Navalny was known as the biggest critic of the Russian government, President Putin and the other rulers in the country. He served a 19-year prison sentence for “founding an extremist movement”. He was sentenced last year after a mock trial. Four years ago, Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. He barely survived that attack. After treatment in Germany he returned to Russia. He was immediately detained there after arrival.

2024-02-17 09:43:04
#Arrests #commemorations #Navalny #Russia #flowers #removed