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Protests over the release of the detained Kremlin critic Navalny in Russia have already resulted in brutal clashes and arrests. Navalny supporters today called rallies in some 90 Russian cities.
There have been several arrests during demonstrations in eastern Russia for the release of detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Activists from the city of Khabarovsk released videos showing police officers beating protesters and locking them in prisoner trucks.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the cities of Vladivostok and Irkutsk, despite the low temperatures, to protest the immediate release of Navalny and against Russian President Vladimir Putin. They shouted “We are the power” and “Putin is a liar.”
Navalny was arrested in Moscow on Sunday immediately after his return from Germany and sentenced the following day to 30 days in prison in a controversial emergency procedure. The 44-year-old is said to have violated information requirements in previous criminal proceedings while recovering from a poison attack in Germany. He faces more trials and years in prison.
Protesters face heavy fines
Therefore, Navalny supporters have called for protests in dozens of Russian cities today – the conversation is from 70 to 90 places. Leonid Volkov, a close ally of Navalny, has called on Russian civil society to secure the release of the prominent Kremlin critic. “Street protests are the only way in Russia to get someone out of jail,” Wolkow told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”.
Authorities threaten severe penalties for attending unauthorized rallies. Numerous supporters of the opposition politician had already been arrested in recent days, including his press spokesperson Kira Jarmysch.
The video is supposed to show “Putin Palace”
Earlier in the week, Nawalny’s team posted a video titled “A Palace for Putin.” The recordings are supposed to prove that the president used bribes to build a huge estate on the Black Sea. The nearly two-hour movie had more than 65 million views on YouTube after a few days. The Kremlin describes the accusations as “nonsense” and “lies”.
Navalny has been arrested several times and sentenced to prison. In 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison in a fraud trial, which was later suspended. The Kremlin critic believes that the proceedings are politically motivated: Due to a conviction, he was not allowed to run against the current Putin in the 2018 presidential elections.
