Russian authorities have released from custody on bail a campaign manager for the opposition RPR-Parnas political party, a news report said, shortly after the party admitted defeat in a regional election.
Andrei Pivovarov, a campaign manager for the party during this month's election in Kostroma, is "very glad" to have walked out of jail pending his trial, Polina Nemirovskaya, a human rights activist from the Open Russia organization, said Monday, Interfax news agency reported.
Bail was set at 1 million rubles ($15,050), which was posted over the weekend, she added, Interfax reported.
Pivovarov has been charged with attempting to steal personal data. Ilya Yashin, who led the Parnas campaign to challenge the ruling United Russia party in Kostroma, called the charges absurd, media reports said. Yashin was a close ally of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
During the Sept. 13 elections, Russians voted for the governors of 21 regions, as well as hundreds of municipal administration chiefs, and deputies for dozens of local legislatures.
Despite wide-spread reports of ballot fraud, Yashin conceded his party's defeat on Facebook.
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