MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, held in custody for two days this week, has accused authorities of arresting him and other Kremlin critics on trumped-up charges in a bid to stop them running in September's parliamentary election. Gudkov, who denies any links to the property, told Reuters in an interview on Friday that the charges against him were designed to curb his political ambitions. The Kremlin has said recent arrests of politicians such as Gudkov have nothing to do with politics, and denies trying to clear the field of political opponents. Gudkov's arrest on Tuesday coincided with that of Andrei Pivovarov, another opposition figure, who was removed from a flight about to leave for Poland. A new law signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday bars members of "extremist" groups from running for office.

Source: The Star June 05, 2021 16:08 UTC