On the 31st, in St. Petersburg, Russia, police are suppressing protesters demanding the release of Alexei Navalni. Saint Petersburg=AP Yonhap News
Protests calling for the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalni in custody took place across Russia for the second consecutive week. The Russian government, which arrested nearly 4,000 citizens in protests over the weekend, also launched a hard crackdown this time, detaining more than 3,000 people.
According to AP and AFP news agency, on the 31st (local time), large-scale protests were held not only in Moscow, but also across Russia, including Vladivostok in the Far East and Novosibirsk in Siberia, demanding the release of Navalni. In preparation for the gathering of protesters, Moscow authorities closed the subway station near the Kremlin and stopped operating buses and restaurants and cafes. But on that day, the protesters confronted the police, shouting slogans such as “Putin resign” and “Putin is a thief”. Protesters marched toward Matrosskaya Tishna detention center, where Navalni was imprisoned, and clashed with police trying to stop it.
The Associated Press reported that about 900 people were arrested, including Julia Nabalnaya, Navalni’s wife, who participated in the protests in Moscow. In St. Petersburg, Russia’s second city, thousands of people protested for the release of Navalni, and about 600 people were arrested. OVD-Info, a Russian local human rights monitoring organization that monitors the arrests of political prisoners, said that more than 3,300 people were detained throughout Russia.
The United States also condemned Russia’s suppression of protesters and called for Navalni’s release. US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln tweeted, “The United States accuses Russian authorities of using harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and reporters for the second consecutive week.” In response, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted that it was “a rude interference in the internal affairs of Russia,” and “it tries to cause unrest by supporting the protesters.”
Navalni fell into a coma after showing symptoms of poisoning poisoning on board while traveling from Tomsk, Siberia to Moscow on a Russian domestic flight last August. He managed to save his life after being taken to a German hospital for treatment. After recovering, Navalni returned to Moscow after five months on the 17th, and was immediately arrested at the airport. Since then, protests for release have continued throughout Russia for two weeks in a row.
Heo Gyeongju reporter [email protected]
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