Leading human rights activists and the liberal Yabloko party have expressed support for ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, who has come under fire from United Russia after criticizing a police crackdown on a banned rally in Moscow, Interfax reported.
A letter signed by a number of human rights activists, including Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Sergei Kovalyov and Lev Ponomaryov, denounced on Friday the campaign against Lukin as “disgusting.” Yabloko expressed its support for the ombudsman in a separate statement.
United Russia accused Lukin of overstepping his authority by criticizing the police's decision to detain more than 150 opposition activists on Triumfalnaya Ploshchad on May 31.