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Detainees holding up a sign with Article 31, the right-to-assembly section of the Constitution, from the inside of a police bus near Triumfalnaya Ploshchad on Aug. 31.
Article 31 of the Constitution guarantees the right to assembly, but for more than a year, Moscow authorities have refused to grant permission for a protest on Triumfalnaya Ploshchad, a historic meeting place. On Aug. 16, city authorities announced a closing of the square for what they said would be construction of an underground parking garage.
But protesters showed up on the afternoon of Aug. 31 ― where they were met by hundreds of police officers, riot police and soldiers. About 100 people were detained by police.
Though some people were detained after shoving against the police cordons, others were detained because they were holding "31" signs, shouting or standing next to the square. Moscow Times staff photographer Igor Tabakov captured images of the afternoon, which can be viewed here.
