Following the house arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, thousands of Russians took to the streets in Moscow in an unsanctioned demonstration.
According to accounts on Twitter, Navalny was photographed walking around among demonstrators before he was arrested again by Russian authorities. Police were seen in the crowds of demonstrators, with one person claiming that “Moscow cops [are] now pushing protesters off” Manezh Square.
moscow cops now pushing protestors off manezh square pic.twitter.com/njjuU9n5ym
— Ilya Mouzykantskii (@ilyamuz) December 30, 2014
Dozens of police vehicles were also seen.
never seen police presence so heavy #moscow #happynewyear pic.twitter.com/c76CAEbsND
— Ilya Mouzykantskii (@ilyamuz) December 30, 2014
Russians share photos from around Manezh Sq in Moscow, where cops are preparing for tomorrow’s protest, 24 hrs early. pic.twitter.com/G2ltaquwqb
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) December 29, 2014
Putin Critic Alexey Navalny Breaks House Arrest To Attend Moscow Protest http://t.co/nAC4rMEpjt via @frittaker pic.twitter.com/gBnUqlAAl3
— Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) December 30, 2014
Hmm. Live stream seems to show not more than 1000 people at the #Moscow protest so far. pic.twitter.com/OA7C9fY4TB
— Conflict Reporter (@Conflict_Report) December 30, 2014
Here’s the AP update on the arrest:
Police have detained President Vladimir Putin’s chief foe, who has broken the terms of house his arrest to attend a protest of several thousand just outside the Kremlin.
The unsanctioned demonstration on Tuesday came hours after Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner, was found guilty of fraud and given a suspended sentence of 3.5 years. His brother was sent to prison.
The convictions are widely seen as a political vendetta against any opposition to Putin and his government.
Alexei Navalny, who has been under house arrest since February, broke its terms to attend the rally and was rounded up by police as he approached the site of the protest.
