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RUSSIA-POLITICS-OPPOSITION-PROTESTS
Kremlin accuses US of meddling after 3,500 protesters detained
MOSCOW, Jan 24, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The Kremlin on Sunday accused the United
States of interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs and downplayed the scale
of the weekend’s protests, when tens of thousands rallied in support of
jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
More than 3,500 demonstrators were detained in protests across the country
on Saturday, with several injured in clashes with police in Moscow, following
Navalny’s call to rally against President Vladimir Putin’s 20-year rule.
The West has widely condemned the “harsh tactics” used against
demonstrators, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying Sunday
the mass arrests of protesters was “an intolerable affront” and a “slide
towards authoritarianism”.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said the bloc would discuss “next
steps” on Monday.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday accused the US embassy of
interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs after the mission distributed a
“demonstration alert” to US citizens in Russia recommending they avoid
protests.
“Of course, these publications are inappropriate,” Peskov told a state TV
channel. “And of course indirectly, they are absolutely an interference in
our domestic affairs.”
A US mission spokeswoman said US embassies and consulates around the world
routinely issue safety messages to US citizens.
“This is a common, routine practice of many countries’ diplomatic
missions,” she told AFP on Sunday.
The US embassy in Moscow on Saturday said that Washington supported “the
right of all people to peaceful protest, freedom of expression”.
– Protests in over 100 cities –
Peskov also accused protest organisers of seeking to “rock the boat” and
said the number of people who had demonstrated paled in comparison to Putin
supporters.
“A lot of people vote for Putin,” Peskov said, pointing to last year’s
constitutional plebiscite that allowed 68-year-old Putin to remain in power
until 2036.
Navalny, Putin’s most prominent critic, was arrested on returning to Moscow
last weekend following months of treatment in Germany for a near-fatal
poisoning with a Soviet-designed Novichok nerve agent.
He then called for Saturday’s unauthorised protests, which took on an
unprecedented geographic scale, spanning more than 100 cities.
Around 20,000 people protested in Moscow and more than 10,000 in Saint
Petersburg, according to estimates from AFP journalists, with rallies also
held in numerous countries including France and Lithuania.
Leonid Volkov, the head of Navalny’s regional network, praised the turnout.
“I am certainly proud, very impressed and inspired,” Volkov told AFP.
Navalny’s team is hoping to stage another rally next weekend.
Many at the protests said they were angered by the findings of a Navalny
investigation into an opulent Black Sea property allegedly owned by Putin.
The two-hour report, which claims that Putin owns “the world’s most
expensive palace” allegedly financed through a massive corruption scheme, has
been viewed nearly 80 million times on YouTube.
Peskov said the luxury mansion on the Black Sea was “private” property and
had nothing to do with Putin.
– Protester in intensive care –
Moscow officials said that 29 people received medical assistance in
hospitals and were released, while a female protester in Saint Petersburg was
in intensive care after a policeman kicked her in the stomach.
Saint Petersburg prosecutors said they were probing violations on “the part
of law enforcement” and the use of force against a woman.
The statement was released after local media published a video showing a
middle-aged woman falling to the ground after being kicked by riot police.
The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it has
launched criminal inquiries in Moscow over the use of violence against law
enforcement, hooliganism and property damage.
In a separate statement, investigators said a 36-year-old man was detained
after hitting two policemen at the Saint Petersburg protest.
The OVD Info monitor said police seized at least 3,521 protesters, with
1,398 people detained in Moscow and 526 in Saint Petersburg.
The head of the Kremlin’s human rights council, Valery Fadeyev, said most
of those detained in Moscow had been released.
He also defended the detentions, saying the protests were illegal and took
place during a coronavirus pandemic. “I see no violations whatsoever,” he
said.
Navalny, who rose to prominence a decade ago, accuses the FSB security
agency of seeking to poison him on Putin’s orders.
He is the target of several criminal probes and supporters fear authorities
are planning to sentence him to a long prison term.
BSS/AFP/ARS/2010 hrs