Dozens arrested at Russian opposition rallies
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 1 September 2010 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dozens arrested at Russian opposition rallies, 1 September 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4cb83e6923.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 01.09.2010 10:32
Riot police detain participants of an unauthorized rally in Moscow in support of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution. (More photos below)
MOSCOW – Protesters rallied in several Russian cities and abroad to demonstrate for the right to gather freely in the streets and to demand the Russian government grant its citizens their constitutional rights, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Opposition and rights activists in Russia try to hold protests in each month that includes 31 days to call attention to Article 31 of Russia's Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly.
Some 400 opposition supporters gathered at an unsanctioned rally in Moscow on August 31. Police arrested 70 people, including opposition leaders Boris Nemtsov, Ilya Yashin, Eduard Limonov, and Sergei Udaltsov.
Around 200 police from Russia's special forces, in full riot gear, lined Moscow's Triumph Square, where the protest was scheduled to take place.
Protesters held giant cardboard "31" signs and screamed slogans like, "Russia Without Putin!" "This Is Our City!" and "Down With The KGB."
Though many protesters were arrested, observers say Russian police behaved relatively calmly.
Four EU lawmakers visiting Russia earlier attended an opposition rally in central Moscow and criticized police for arresting its organizers.
Heidi Hautala, who heads the EU parliament's subcommittee on human rights, called the arrest of Nemtsov, a former Russian prime minister, "a violation."
In St. Petersburg, around 800 people gathered in the center of the city, more than had gathered during the July protest at which some protesters were severely beaten by police.
In the small city of Barnaul in western Siberia, protesters shouted the slogan "I Choose Freedom!" and demanded the government better regulate companies providing housing and community services.
Authorities routinely deny permission for the demonstrations – permission the activists say they do not need – and police break up the protests before they can begin, often by dragging protesters away.
Protesters – mainly Russian expatriates – also gathered in New York, London, and Washington, D.C., in solidarity.
with agency reports
Link to original story on RFE/RL website