Russian police detained 317 people on Saturday, including prominent Opposition activists, near a political protest in Moscow which authorities had declared illegal.
Jailed Opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called for the protest, near the Moscow Mayor’s office, to pressure authorities to allow candidates to run in a September 8 local vote in Moscow, which they have been barred from.
The protest campaign is also intended to raise the heat on Russia’s tightly-controlled political system at a time when President Vladimir Putin’s rating has dropped due to discontent over falling real incomes.
OVD-Info, a monitoring group, said police had detained at least 317 people before or at Saturday’s protest, which was attended by thousands of people.
