Authorities in Siberia detain opposition supporters before Moscow rally to protest against president’s inaugurationPolice in Siberia detained more than 200 people at protests against Vladimir Putin’s rule in the run-up to an opposition rally in central Moscow on Saturday. Alexei Navalny, the opposition figurehead, has called for nationwide rallies to protest against inauguration on 7 May to a fourth presidential term. Authorities in Moscow have warned opposition supporters that they face arrest if they attend Saturday’s unsanctioned rally near the Kremlin. In 2012, before Putin’s inauguration to a third term, police clashed with protesters in central Moscow, and more than 400 people were arrested. Several protesters were handed long prison terms after the rally, which led to a split in the opposition’s anti-Putin coalition.

Source: The Guardian May 05, 2018 12:09 UTC