Riot police detains protesters in St. Peterburg
26 November 2007
On 25 November Evgeniy Konovalov, the chairman of the Russian Social Democratic Union of Youth in St. Petersburg has been detained by the riot police on the Palace Square. Evgeniy Konovalov and others arrested with him were released 45 minutes later in the area of Petrogradskiy region without registration of detention.
In the morning OMON has begun with detention of the leaders of the St. Petersburg opposition at the office of Yabloko. Detentions were accompanied by beating of the participants. The transport militia has been involved in the localisation of participants of the March at trainstations. They were on duty on Friday, Saturday, Sunday near trainsstations and made "official reports" by questioning each young man. Questions asked were about: where and with what purpose do you go, where are you going to stay etc.
In total about 150 protestors were arrested in the St. Petersburg rally, which came one day after the dispersed protest of Other Russia in Russia – ending with the detention the leader of the March, Garry Kasparov.
Reportedly, the detainees in St. Petersburg included Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) leader Nikita Belykh and Olga Kurnosova, a local leader of Garry Kasparov's United Civil Front. Police also arrested and subsequently released former SPS leader Boris Nemtsov, who was last week proposed as a possible unity candidate for the March presidential election. Nemtsov, a former Kremlin insider, and Belykh are registered SPS candidates in December 2 elections to the State Duma.
