The Russian government detained upwards of one thousand people across the country during unapproved demonstrations which took place to protest the alleged corruption of the Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev. The protests took place in Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and several other cities, as well as Moscow. Famed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was detained, fined, and released as well.
Here is a video put out by Navalny on the corruption issue-It is in Russian but you can get the point:
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov stated, “Essentially what we saw yesterday in several places – probably especially in Moscow – is a provocation and a lie.” He said young people had been “promised financial rewards in the event of their detention by law enforcement agencies”. Mr Peskov praised the “appropriate, highly professional and legal” response of the security forces and dismissed calls from the European Union on Monday that those detained should be released “without delay,” reported the BBC.
An EU spokesmans said Russia,”prevented the exercise of basic freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, which are fundamental rights enshrined in the Russian constitution…We call on the Russian authorities to abide fully by the international commitments it has made… and to release without delay the peaceful demonstrators that have been detained.”
The U.S. State Dept said, “The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, equal treatment under the law, and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution.”
