MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested and faced up to 30 days in prison on Wednesday, in an apparent move by the authorities to prevent a major protest rally this week.
Investigators also opened a criminal investigation into obstructing the work of election officials after Navalny’s allies and ordinary Muscovites staged a series of pickets and rallies in the Russian capital in recent days.
For that offence the protest leaders could face up to five years in prison.
A coordinator of Navalny’s Moscow headquarters, Oleg Stepanov, said he had also been detained.
The latest crackdown on Russia’s opposition politicians came as they have fought to get on the ballot for the Moscow parliament elections in September amid falling approval ratings for President Vladimir Putin.
They have however been disqualified on what critics say are spurious reasons.
Navalny and other anti-Kremlin politicians threatened to stage a major rally on July 27, near the mayor’s office, unless Moscow’s authorities registered opposition candidates within seven days.
On Wednesday, Navalny said he was detained as he was leaving his Moscow home to go jogging and buy flowers for his wife’s birthday.
“People are right when they say that sport is not always good for your health,” Putin’s top opponent quipped.
“I have been detained and am now at a police station wearing shorts like a stupid man,” the 43-year-old said.
His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Navalny faced up to 30 days in prison for calls to stage an “unauthorised” rally.
Navalny has already served a 10-day jail sentence for allegedly violating a protest law earlier this month.
Navalny’s arrest came after more than 22,000 people rallied in the Russian capital last Saturday to demand independent politicians be allowed to run in the September 8 vote.
The opposition said on Saturday’s authorised protest was the largest since 2012, when tens of thousands rallied against election fraud during parliamentary polls.
The would-be opposition candidates have also been meeting with supporters and staging pickets outside Moscow City Hall over the past week. — AFP
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