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Russia: Hundreds of arrests in Navalny protests

Tens of thousands of Russians demonstrated across the country for the release of the imprisoned opposition member Navalny – not without clashes with the police. Almost 2,000 people were arrested, including Navalny’s wife.

The Russia-wide demonstrations for the release of the detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have reached the capital. Thousands of people gathered in Moscow’s city center – the Russian Interior Ministry spoke of 4,000 protesters, while various media outlets from 10,000 to 15,000. They reported clashes between police and demonstrators. Even before the announced starting signal for the demonstration at 2 p.m. local time (12 p.m. CET), security forces arrested numerous people, including Navalny confidante Lyubow Sobol.

Shortly afterwards, Nawalny’s wife Julia was arrested. She posted a photo from a prisoner transport on Instagram. “Sorry for the poor quality,” read the ironic caption. The light in the police car is very bad. Previously, Nawalny’s team had published a photo of Nawalny’s mother, who had also come to the demo.

There were many young people and middle-class people among the protesters. The police took up a huge contingent in Moscow city center. The special police OMON, which specializes in counter-terrorism operations, was also on site. Activists complained about a throttling of the Internet, and according to the portal Meduza there were also disruptions with the short message service Twitter. Nationwide, the civil rights portal OVD Info counted 1955 arrests, including minors and media representatives. According to this, security forces often used violence against the demonstrators.

Advance warnings and threats

Navalny’s supporters called for protests in more than 90 Russian cities this Saturday. They are demanding the release of the opposition activist, who was sentenced to 30 days in prison on Monday in a controversial urgent procedure. Navalny allegedly violated reporting requirements in previous criminal proceedings while recovering from a poison attack in Germany. The 44-year-old and his team see the judiciary’s actions as politically motivated. In the past few days, several confidants and employees of the opposition party were arrested, including his press spokeswoman Kira Jarmysch.

Authorities had warned in advance against participating in the unauthorized protests and announced harsh penalties. Parents of young people were called upon to ensure that their children were kept at home. Universities threatened with de-registration should students take part in the protests.

Violent assault

Because of the time difference, the first demonstrations began in the east of the country several hours earlier. Activists from the city of Khabarovsk posted videos showing police officers beating demonstrators and locking them in prisoner trucks. In the cities of Vladivostok and Irkutsk, hundreds of people gathered to protest for the immediate release of Navalny and against Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the freezing temperatures. They chanted “We are the power” and “Putin is a liar”.

Police in Tomsk cautious

In some cities, however, the police did not intervene, as can be seen on videos on social networks. In the Siberian city of Tomsk, where Navalny was the victim of an attack with the neurotoxin Novichok in August, people are said to have gathered for the largest unauthorized demonstration in years. Navalny blames Putin and the domestic secret service FSB for the attack. Putin and the FSB reject that.

Are there any new sanctions?

The EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell sharply criticized the actions of the Russian authorities against the demonstrators. He regrets the numerous arrests, the disproportionate use of force and the restriction of Internet and telephone connections, said Borrell. He is concerned and will discuss the EU’s next steps with the foreign ministers of the EU states at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

As early as the middle of the week, representatives of member states described new EU sanctions for the arrest of Nawalny as a realistic option. A decision will probably only be made if Navalny is to be held in custody for a longer period. At the foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels there will only be an initial exchange of views on the subject.

Protest also internationally

There were also calls for protests outside of Russia, in Germany rallies were planned in Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main. 200 people demonstrated for the release of Nawalny on the market square in Düsseldorf. According to the police, the rally was initially registered with 100 participants. The demonstration went peacefully and without disruption.

At the beginning of the week, Nawalny’s team published an unveiling video entitled “A Palace for Putin”, which is supposed to prove that the president used bribes to build a “tsarist empire” on the Black Sea. The Kremlin describes the allegations in the film, which has been viewed more than 67 million times, as “nonsense” and “lies”.

The Tagesschau reported on this topic on January 23, 2021 at 9:50 a.m.




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