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Over 5,000 arrests during Navalny protests: Kremlin deplores “serious interference” by the US.
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Arrests during Navalny protests
Thousands of people take to the streets across Russia for the release of detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Hundreds of protesters have already been arrested in demonstrations in cities.
Supporters of Kremlin critic Alexej Navalnys also protested Sunday in about 100 cities in nationwide protests for his release. More than 5000 people are arrested. A diplomatic dispute begins between Russia and the United States.
secondIn recent demonstrations in Russia by jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, more than 5,000 people have been arrested, according to human rights activists.
The security forces with heavy equipment were sometimes brutal. In the metropolis of Saint Petersburg, the police reportedly used tear gas and stun guns. An officer threatened with his weapon. Photos from Kazan on the Volga, about 700 kilometers east of Moscow, showed several protesters having to lie down in front of police officers on the wall of a house in the snow.
Many people took to the streets of Moscow
Source: dpa / Alexander Zemlianichenko
Police use batons against protesters
Source: dpa / Alexander Zemlianichenko
The police are also on duty in Vladivostok.
Source: dpa / Aleksander Khitrov
Police arrest protester in Vladivostok
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
Protesters march in Novosibirsk
Source: dpa / Kirill Kukhmar
The journalists’ union spoke of the initial arrest of 50 media representatives. They were taken into police custody even though they could have identification. According to Nawalny’s team, on Sunday there were campaigns in about 100 cities across the country for the liberation of the opposition and against corruption.
Kremlin critic Navalny’s wife arrested again
Navalny’s wife, Julia Navalnaya, was also arrested during the mass protests in Moscow. It was only released at night.
The 44-year-old had previously posted a photo of herself on the street on Instagram. In another entry with a family photo, she criticized the fact that her husband was jailed for daring to survive the assassination attempt with the chemical warfare agent Novichok. She had already been temporarily arrested during the protests a week ago.
Navalnaya also complained that Alexey’s brother, Oleg Navalny, had been held as a “hostage”. “If we are silent, tomorrow they will pick up each of us.” He accused President Vladimir Putin of determining the fate of the people at will: he decides “who is locked up and who is poisoned.” When Nawalnaya was arrested, supporters criticized the police arbitrarily taking her away, as the Internet channel Doschd showed.
The massive crackdown on opposition protesters by Russian security forces has sparked a violent diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Washington. The Kremlin on Sunday accused the United States of “serious interference” in Russia’s internal affairs. In a statement on Facebook, the State Department in Moscow also criticized the dissemination of false information through “online platforms controlled by Washington.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously condemned the “tough” reaction of the Russian authorities to protests started by jailed Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny. “We renew our call on Russia to release those arrested for exercising their human rights,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
Nawalny supporters also protested against the arrest of the Kremlin opponent in Berlin. According to police, there was a smaller and larger demonstration on Sunday, the number of participants was not mentioned. In one action, a protester disguised as President Vladimir Putin was shown behind bars; this was intended to demand that Putin be brought to justice before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Navalny’s freedom was demanded on banners. The target of the largest demonstration was the Russian Embassy in Unter den Linden.
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