Opposition Rallies in Moscow to Demand Release of Protesters
Opposition Rallies in Moscow to Demand Release of Protesters
(Bloomberg) -- Thousands of Russians shrugged off rainy weather to attend a sanctioned rally in central Moscow and demand the release of protesters who were detained at opposition events over the summer.
Public outrage over harsh sentences given to several protesters arrested during unauthorized demonstrations against the exclusion of opposition candidates from local city council elections may have contributed to the authorities backtracking on a few of the cases.
In one instance, Pavel Ustinov, an actor who received a 3 1/2 year sentence for injuring an officer despite video evidence that appeared to exonerate him, was released on bail and granted an appeal. His hearing is scheduled for Monday.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jake Rudnitsky in Moscow at jrudnitsky@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Torrey Clark at tclark8@bloomberg.net, Sara Marley, Marthe Fourcade
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