People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges, in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 8, 2020. The poster reads: “I am / We are Sergei Furgal”. REUTERS / Evgenii Pereverzev
MOSCOW (Reuters) – As many as 3,000 people took part in another march in Russia on Saturday from the eastern city of Khabarovsk in protest of President Vladimir Putin’s treatment of a local political crisis.
Residents of Khabarovsk, some 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are protesting for a fifth consecutive weekend against the detention of Sergei Furgal, the popular governor of the wider region.
Furgal was arrested on July 9 in connection with murder charges he denies.
His supporters say the detention is politically motivated. It has delayed weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the Kremlin for a sharp drop in real incomes as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and trying to keep a lid on unrest when the economy collapses.
Regional authorities estimated that about 2,800 people took part in the last march, a smaller turnout than previous weeks.
Reuters images showed people marching with posters reading, “Give us back Furgal” and, “Away with the repression.”
Report by Maria Kiselyova; Edited by Mike Harrison
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