0 0
Read Time:3 Minute, 6 Second

[ad_1]

Policemen walk in the smoke from a burning flare thrown by protesters not far from where opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being held.


Vasily Maximov / Getty Images

Thousands of Russians across 200 cities spanning from Moscow to Siberia braved sub-zero temperatures and police brutality during pro-democracy protests in the country on Saturday.

The demonstrations came in response to the attempted assassination and subsequent arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which sparked ire among Russian citizens.


Twitter: @ngumenyuk

Navalny was poisoned in August last year and transferred to Germany for treatment, where doctors confirmed that the chemical agent Novichok was used. Navalny then helped investigate his own assassination together with Bellingcat, a news outlet. He famously phoned an FSB agent involved and tricked him into a confession.

The opposition leader returned to Russia on Jan. 17, where he was immediately arrested. His team published another investigation two days later, which purportedly shows President Vladimir Putin’s palace on the Black Sea. The investigation came alongside calls from Navalny to protest on Jan. 23, which were resoundingly heeded.

An elderly woman surrounded by police officers at a pro-Democracy rally in Russia.


Kirill Kudryavtsev / Getty Images

There have been over 3,000 arrests across the country, including of 16 reporters, according to protest-tracking website OVD-Info, the most in the last four years. It’s not known how many people across the country participated, but videos and images show what appears to be tens of thousands of people in the streets.

Police officers in uniform hold a man wearing a face mask down on the ground, in the snow


Donat Sorokin / Donat Sorokin/TASS

In Siberia, people protested in -60F weather.


Twitter: @Rudnit

In Irkutsk, a small city bordering Mongolia, thousands filled the streets.


Twitter: @ZolotorevskiyB

Protesters also lined the streets to the Kremlin in Moscow.


Twitter: @INechepurenko

And thousands marched in St. Petersburg.


Twitter: @Reevellp

Protesters in Moscow threw snowballs at nearby police officers.


Twitter: @mediazzzona

But it didn’t take long for police to use force during the protests, which had previously been deemed illegal.

One video shows a woman getting kicked in the stomach. According to the news outlet Mediazona, the woman had a concussion and was taken to the hospital.


Twitter: @novaya_gazeta

In another video, police are seen harassing a small child as the crowd yells for him to be let go.


Twitter: @galiamina

One reporter, who was arrested and subsequently released, recorded people being beaten on police busses.


Twitter: @ars_ves

And another video shows a woman being taken away by two men in civilian clothes.


Twitter: @mediazzzona

The US Embassy in Russia tweeted in support of the protests, and the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs later labeled the tweet “hypocrisy.”


Twitter: @USEmbRuPress

The striking photos and videos largely show protesters banding together against the police, sometimes appealing to their conscience.

Undaunted by the police response and governmental condemnation, Navalny’s organization called for more protests next week.

“This was the first step on the road to victory,” the Anti-Corruption Foundation tweeted. “See you again in a week.”



[ad_2]

Source link

About Post Author

CAESAR

THERE IS A TIDE IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN..
Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Average Rating

5 Star
0%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *