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In Russia, thousands of people continue to take to the streets against the sentence of opposition leader Alexei Navalny to several years in prison, and the police are increasingly determined and tough on the protesters. Human rights activists report that there have been more than 1,400 arrests since yesterday. More than 1100 of them in Moscow.
Christina Hebel, DER SPIEGEL correspondent
“We see very clearly here in Moscow that the security forces are using deterrence. The goal here is that people should not gather in larger groups under any circumstances, that images of thousands of protesters should be broadcast again on the Internet. And it was significant here in Moscow to see how massive the security forces were. We saw hundreds of Omon special policemen who marched into the center before the verdict was pronounced, then walked through the center in lines of three or four looking for protesters. “
Brutal and threatening scenes are shared thousands of times on social networks.
Christina Hebel, DER SPIEGEL correspondent
“There were very brutal scenes in a downtown alley where the protesters were surrounded by security agents. And although they shouted ‘We are without weapons’, the police brutally beat them. Those were images that reminded me of Minsk. You have to say: Yes, it reminds you of Minsk. But dozens, hundreds of people were tortured in Minsk. This is just another level of climbing. However, here in Moscow, liberal, critical and opposition circles now speak of the fact that the Minsk conditions started here. “
What is also new is that the press is no longer safe from violence by police units.
Christina Hebel, DER SPIEGEL correspondent
“Many of the colleagues, and we too, always wear neon yellow vests when we go out to protest. However, we have seen that colleagues have been detained time and again, even a colleague was brutally beaten on the head yesterday. Those were images that I’ve never seen before and they scare a lot of people here too. “
The question now is whether Russian President Putin will succeed in his repressive measures against opposition supporters. In all, Russian police arrested more than 10,000 people during the protests over the past two weekends.
Christina Hebel, DER SPIEGEL correspondent
“I think this deterrent will work. Because people understand exactly what this violence means and it could increase even more. Today I spoke with several people who have participated in the protests over the past two weeks. And one part says, ‘We’re going even further now. That is pure arbitrariness. It is illegal. None of that works. But it’s only the smallest part. And I’m curious to see how things will play out here when there are new protests and how many people will actually come then. “
