Russian opposition and human rights activists held regular, unauthorized protests in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a number of other major Russian cities yesterday, reports RFE\/RL.<\/p>\n
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Reports say that some 60 people were detained in the capital alone.<\/p>\n
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Four EU lawmakers visiting Russia earlier attended an opposition rally in central Moscow and criticized police for arresting its organizers.<\/p>\n
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Heidi Hautala, who heads the EU parliament’s subcommittee on human rights, called the arrest of former Russian Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov at a rally “a violation.”<\/p>\n
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Another prominent opposition figure, Eduard Limonov, was also detained.<\/p>\n
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Opposition and rights activists try to hold protests in each month that includes 31 days to call attention to Article 31 of Russia’s constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Authorities routinely deny permission for the demonstrations — permission the activists say they do not need — and police break up the protests before they can begin, often by dragging protesters away.<\/p>\n
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In Moscow, rallies were previously held on Triumph Square, but this month the Moscow city government fenced it off and announced plans to build an underground parking garage in the area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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