×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Moscow Police Detain 13 at Unsanctioned Bolotnaya Rally

A group of women dressed as prisoners protesting outside the Zamoskvoretsky Court in February.

Police reportedly detained 13 people on Tuesday at an unsanctioned protest in Moscow on the second anniversary of an anti-Kremlin rally that ended in clashes between police and demonstrators.

The detention-monitoring website OVD Info said that 12 protesters and a journalist were held after banners reading "Russia is not a prison" and "Freedom to political prisoners" where hung from a bridge leading to Bolotnaya Ploshchad, the site of the disturbances two years ago.

Sanctioned pickets in support of those jailed over the 2012 protest took place at the Tretyakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya metro stations, Interfax reported.

City Hall last week turned down an application for an opposition rally on Bolotnaya Ploshchad on May 6 and warned of the "consequences" of holding an unsanctioned meeting.

Nearly 30 of those who attended the rally in 2012 — held on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a third term as president — were charged with participating in what the authorities have described as "mass riots."

Critics say that the so-called Bolotnaya case formed part of a wider crackdown on Kremlin opponents and that the skirmishes were stoked by police aggression.

In February, Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky Court handed down prison sentences ranging from 2 ½ to four years to seven Bolotnaya defendants, while an eighth got a suspended sentence.

Eleven defendants were freed under an amnesty passed last year, while several others are still awaiting sentencing.

Konstantin Lebedev, who was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison last year for his role in the violence, left prison on parole on Tuesday, his lawyer told Interfax.

Lebedev had entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors and in March testified against Left Front leaders Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev, each of whom face 10 years in prison for allegedly organizing riots at the rally in 2012.

Read more:

Moscow Court Releases Bolotnaya 'Traitor' on Parole

7 Bolotnaya Defendants Given Prison Terms, Navalny Detained Outside Court


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.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more