“Return to the Soviet Union” protests to release Navalni, Russia, arrests 5,000

Large-scale protests held in Russia for the second consecutive week
Protests in over 100 cities… 5000 people arrested
US Secretary of State Blincoln “condemns Russia’s harsh repression”
“Putin may be an opportunity to strengthen authoritarianism”

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According to the Associated Press, the protests took place in about 100 cities across Russia. In the capital Moscow, protesters also marched toward the “Matroskaya Tishina” concentration camp in Moscow, where Navalni was detained. In addition, in major cities such as St. Petersburg, thousands of protesters protested, shouting slogans such as “Putin is a thief”, “Free Navalni”, and “Russia will soon become free.”

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A protest against the detention of Alexei Navalni was held in St. Petersburg, USA on the 31st of last month (local time). [AP=연합뉴스]

– Russian authorities responded hard, saying that participation in the protests could lead to charges of massive riots, up to eight years in prison. Prior to the protests, the capital Moscow also closed seven major metro stations and blocked the main roads around the Kremlin.

The Navalni support group that led the protests encouraged participation in the protests through social media and avoided the control of the Russian police. They initially planned to hold the protests in Moscow in a square near the headquarters of the Federal Security Agency (FSB), which was suspected of being behind the attempt to poison Navalni, but they were scattered in other squares and streets due to the blockade by the authorities.

◇About 5,000 people arrested… “Returning to the Soviet Union”

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Russian human rights monitoring organization OVD-info announced that about 5,000 people were arrested by the police in 86 cities in Russia during the protests. This is more than the group’s estimated 4,000 arrests during the last protests. In particular, about 1600 people were arrested in Moscow and 1,100 people were arrested in St. Petersburg.

Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, says Moscow authorities have arrested too many people and there is no room at the detention facility.

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Armed Russian police were deployed in Moscow on the 31st of last month (local time) to stop protests demanding the release of Alexei Navalni. [AP=연합뉴스]

– NYT said the police sprayed tear gas in Moscow and St. Petersburg on the same day and used a Taser gun, which was not used last week, against unarmed protesters.

Nikolai Babikov, who participated in the protests, told NYT that “the intensity of repression is increasing.” “Freedom is disappearing, and little by little we are going back to the Soviet Union,” he criticized the government.

Another analysis found that the political position of Russian President Vladimir Putin was shaken by the following protests.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin. [로이터=연합뉴스]

– NYT analyzed that “Navalni has shown the ability to unite as Putin’s criticism from nationalists to liberals, and even those with no ideology. The Kremlin is particularly afraid of this.”

“This repression shows that Putin, who has granted Russia some freedom, is ready to put an authoritative rule in order to eliminate the possibility of threatening his power. Is the key to the future.”

◇The US-Russia conflict spreads

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The United States and Russia led to diplomatic friction. US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln tweeted that day “The United States condemns the Russian authorities for violent repression against peaceful protesters and journalists for two weeks in a row,” and demanded the release of protesters, including Navalni.

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US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln on Twitter on the 31st of last month (local time) criticized “Russia is harshly cracking down on nonviolent protesters and journalists for the second consecutive week.” [트위터 캡처]

– Joseph Borrell, who is in charge of foreign policy in the European Union (EU), also said on the day that he said, “I regret the sensation of arrest and the harsh use of force.”

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement shortly after Minister Blincoln’s tweet and said, “The US is supporting the protesters as part of a strategy to contain Russia,” and “Stop interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states.”

The next protest on the 2nd, when the Navalni trial will be held despite the hard crackdown of the Russian authorities, has been announced. Navalni was arrested in 2014 for violating his probation obligations sentenced on charges of fraud and money laundering, but he is likely to be sentenced to two days in prison.

Navalni’s advocacy group has been encouraging participation through Twitter and Telegram, saying they will protest in front of a court in Moscow, where the trial is held on Tuesday.

Reporter Seok Kyung-min [email protected]

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