Moscow (June 13, 2017): Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny among hundreds were rounded up at anti-corruption rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Around 900 people have been arrested over holding nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations in Russia. Whereas Russian interior minister said that 500 protesters were detained over violation of laws.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained at his home ahead of the protests, according to his wife. Navalny’s wife, Yulia, reported news of his detention at his home in Moscow on his official Twitter feed. She also posted a picture showing police officers at the scene.
Alexei Navalny had planned to attend a rally in the capital, but is now facing a possible 30-day jail term, according to a post on Twitter by his lawyer, Vadim Kobzev.
Hours earlier, authorities had declared that the planned rally in the Russian capital was illegal.
“Law enforcement agencies will be forced to take all necessary measures to stop provocations, mass unrest or any actions leading to a violation of public security, creating conditions for threatening the life and health of citizens,” the Prosecutor General said in a statement.
Whereas White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer condemned the arrests and called on Russia “to release all peaceful protesters.”
“The United States strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters throughout Russia,” Spicer said, calling it “an affront to core democratic values.”
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