As rallies and protests commemorating the death in prison of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny (47) spread across the country, the BBC, AFP news agency, Al Jazeera, etc. reported on the 17th (local time) that authorities have begun to arrest protestors on a large scale. did.
According to the media, Russian human rights group OVD-Info announced that 359 people have been arrested and detained across the country since the news of Navalny’s sudden death broke on the 16th.
The Vladimir Putin regime is hastily confirming Navalny’s cause of death, expressing its position that there are no significant problems with inmate health management in prisons, and refuting Western criticism that his death was mysterious due to repression.
Beginning on the afternoon of the 16th when news of Navalny’s death broke, protests spread across the country, centered on Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Protesters were forcibly arrested one after another in 32 cities, including Murmansk, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Nizinovgorod, St. Petersburg, Belgård, Vorkuta, Krasnodar, and Tvar.
So far, 74 people have been taken away from St. Petersburg alone, and 49 people have been arrested in Moscow.
OVD-Info observed that local police are likely to detain far more protesters than announced.
Russian authorities are concerned that Navalny’s memorial fervor may develop into protests, so they are deploying a large number of security forces and warning citizens not to participate in memorial rallies.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh officially confirmed on the 17th that Navalny died in prison.
Spokesperson Yarmysh said on this day that Russian authorities had officially notified his mother, Lydumila, of Navalny’s death.
He reported on SNS
Navalny’s body has been moved to Salekhard, a city near the prison, and an autopsy and investigation by Russian authorities are underway, Yarmysh explained.
Russia announced that Navalny died the previous day after suddenly losing consciousness and collapsing after a walk at Harp No. 3 prison, 1,900 km northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a 30-year sentence.
Novaya Gazeta reported that Navalny’s mother visited Harp Prison, where her son was imprisoned, with his lawyer on the 17th.
Source: Donga
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