Thousands protest against the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Moscow … News Time
Russian police using force on protesters rally of thousands of people for the release of President Vladimir Putin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny arrested 1,500 protesters. Among those arrested was Alexei Navalny’s wife, according to the foreign news agency AP. The opposition leader was arrested earlier this month on his way to Russia from Germany. He later called on his supporters to protest. Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. “However, protesters rallied for the release of the detained opposition leader despite the ban and severe cold. At least 1,614 people were arrested, according to Covid Info Protest Monitor Group. He said 300 people had been detained in the capital, Moscow, and 162 in St. Petersburg. He said the number of detainees was expected to rise, while arrests were reported during rallies in 70 cities and towns. According to officials, about 4,000 people took part in an unauthorized rally in central Moscow. There were violent clashes with police in a protest in Moscow said. Yulia, the wife of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said on social media that she had been detained at the rally but was later released.
It is believed that Alexei Navalny was poisoned last summer, after which he arrived in Russia for the first time and he ruled out the possibility of his arrest when he left Germany. Alexei Navalny could face up to three-and-a-half years in prison for violating the terms of his suspended sentence. The plane carrying the Russian opposition leader was due to land at Moscow airport, but at the last minute the authorities ordered the plane to land at another airport. Alexei Navalny, Putin’s biggest critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany for medical treatment after falling off a plane in August. A statement from Germany stated that the Russian opposition leader had been poisoned in the Novichok style. “These are the best moments of the last five months,” he told reporters on a flight to Moscow.
