As many as 1,400 people were detained in the protests calling for an immediate release of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Meanwhile, the Moscow police officers were recorded beating the demonstrators with batons.
Earlier, Navalny, a key critic of the incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, was jailed for three and half years for violating the conditions on a deferred sentence. However, the opposition leader has categorically denied the accusations and described the case as “fabricated.” In January, Navalny returned from Germany, where he was being treated following a deadly attack.
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He has claimed that Putin ordered the poison attack with Novichok agent. But Kremlin categorically denied any involvement. Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the police response to Tuesday’s demonstrations was justified. Moreover, the police brutality in Russia has attracted international criticism. The UK, the US, and the European Union condemned the government’s response to the pro-Navalny protests.
On the other hand, Berlin has maintained that it would further discuss potential measures with its bloc allies, saying that the new sanctions could be on the cards. Navalny has already served time under house arrest, and his lawyers said that he faces two years and eight months in jail.
On Tuesday, following the decision by the court in Central Moscow, hundreds of people took to the streets. Reportedly, police arrested more than 1,117 people, and the video footage circulating on social media showed officers beating demonstrators. Additionally, there were also reports that one journalist was hit on the head by a baton.
In the second largest city of Russia, St Petersburg, as many as 251 people were arrested and seventeen people in other smaller towns of Russia. Russian authorities accuse him of breaking the rules of the 2014 suspended sentence that required Navalny to report to police officials on a daily basis. But his lawyers have maintained that the case is absurd as the officials knew that he was recovering in Germany. Following the judgment from the court, Navalny accused Kremlin of using the case to frighten the opposition.
