From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/25/2007 6:42 AM
Sunday, 25 November 2007
More activists arrested in Russia
Police officers detain Boris Nemtsov in St Petersburg, 25-11-07
Presidential candidate Boris Nemtsov was among those detained
Russian police have broken up an opposition rally, arresting activists for the second day running.
Police detained about 150 people in St Petersburg, including opposition leader Boris Nemtsov – who was later freed.
The protest was organised by the Other Russia, a coalition of anti-Kremlin groups. They accuse the government of crushing dissent ahead of elections.
On Saturday Other Russia leader and former chess champion Garry leader was arrested during a protest in Moscow.
Mr Kasparov was jailed for five days for leading an unauthorised march.
Banners
The Other Russia brings together a broad coalition of mainstream politicians, leftists and nationalists, all of whom are opposed to the Kremlin.
Several hundred people took part in the St Petersburg protest – much fewer than Saturday’s gathering of about 3,000 people in Moscow.
We have come here today to ask Mr Putin and the authorities – why is there so much corruption in the country?
Boris Nemtsov
Opposition leader
Activists holding white flowers met near the headquarters of the liberal Yabloko party, and headed to the site of the unauthorised rally.
Mr Nemtsov, a leader of the opposition SPS party and a candidate in presidential elections due in March, addressed the crowd.
“They have forbidden us from discussing Putin,” he said.
“But we have come here today to ask Mr Putin and the authorities why is there so much corruption in the country?”
Riot police reportedly moved in when some protesters unfurled banners of the banned National Bolshevik Party and marched towards the Winter Palace, the residence of the tsars.
Correspondents put the number of people taken away in police vans at about 200.
Mr Nemtsov was among them – but was subsequently released from custody.
The parliamentary poll to be held on 2 December is widely expected to be won by President Vladimir Putin’s supporters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7111753.stm
