City Hall on Friday rejected an application to hold a march on Tverskaya Ulitsa in central Moscow next month in support of the "Bolotnaya case" defendants who stand accused of clashing with police during an opposition rally in May 2012.
The organizers had asked permission for 30,000 people to march along Tverskaya Ulitsa from Belorussky Station to Manezh Square on Feb. 2.
Pyotr Tsarkov, one of the organizers and an activist from the Solidarity movement, said that City Hall instead suggested staging a march for 15,000 people to the northwest of the city center on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova, Interfax reported.
Tsarkov said that he and the other organizers would consider the proposal and respond by Monday.
The rally on Bolotnaya Ploshchad on May 6, 2012 descended into fights and skirmishes that resulted in dozens of people getting injured and more than 400 being detained. Authorities later opened criminal cases against 28 protesters on charges of taking part in the "riots," though some were amnestied in December.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
