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Moscow police detained protesters tonight near Matroskaya Tishina prison, where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being held, an AFP reporter reported.
Some protesters were beaten with batons and hundreds of people gathered and chanted “Freedom!” not far from the isolator in the northern part of the Russian capital. Many protesters then ran against the numerous police officers stationed near the prison, the journalist said.
A TASS correspondent reported from the scene that protesters were shooting snowballs at police and one of them blew smoke. A smoke screen was formed near the pre-trial detention center. The forces of order arrest people en masse. The surrounding streets are blocked.
On Saturday, Russian police arrested at least 2,131 protesters who took to the streets in temperatures as low as -50 C (minus -5 F) to demand the release of Alexei Navalny, the country’s leading opposition figure. The data on the detainees belongs to the non-governmental monitoring organization “OVD-Info”.
According to AFP journalists, there were almost 20,000 demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police in Moscow in the afternoon. According to Reuters reporters, the number of protesters was double.
Moscow police said Navalny’s wife had been released by police without a report, a police source said. Julia Navalny was arrested during a mass demonstration in Pushkin Square in the center of the Russian capital.
According to the latest data from the non-governmental monitoring organization OVD-Info, cited by Reuters, 2501 people were arrested during protests in support of Navalny in the country, including 945 in Moscow.
Currently, 42 law enforcement officers are known to have been injured during the unauthorized event. Their injuries are minor, they are not hospitalized, an anonymous source from medical circles told TASS. There are also victims among the protesters.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into violence against police officers, the agency added.
Leonid Volkov, an ally of Navalny, announced today that the opposition may call for further protests next weekend demanding Navalny’s release, Reuters reported.
The protest in Moscow >>
