Dozens Arrested in Russia's 'Election Boycott' Rally

Reports indicate that over 250 people, including Alexei Navalny, the leader of the opposition to Vladimir Putin, were arrested during a rally aimed at boycotting the upcoming presidential elections in Russia. Live footage from the protests shows that about a thousand anti-corruption protesters were suppressed by police shortly after gathering in central Moscow on Monday, February 27. Mr. Navalny himself tweeted, 'I have been arrested. It doesn't matter. Come to Tverskaya (Street), not for me, but for yourselves and your future.' A 25-year-old woman named Nastya told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that she felt it was her duty to join the protesters: 'You can't choose from just one candidate (Vladimir Putin).' Navalny was barred from participating in the elections by a court and the Russian election committee late last year. Currently, only Putin, along with Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, are significant candidates for the March elections. However, polls indicate that Putin's chances of winning re-election for another six years are 80%, a situation that worries his opponents. Despite warnings from authorities, protests erupted in dozens of cities across the country with slogans like 'Putin is destroying Russia's future.' Nastya stated, 'If we stay home, nothing will change, but if we take to the streets and protest, at least there will be a slight chance.' The NGO 'OVD-Info,' which monitors human rights in Russia, reported that 257 protesters were arrested in various cities, with 16 in Moscow and 10 in St. Petersburg. Daria Komarova, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty covering the protests in Cheboksary, was among those arrested. The report indicates that protesters demonstrated against Putin and the country's economic corruption in nearly 20 cities. Hundreds of protesters in Vladivostok also took to the streets holding placards with slogans like 'Without the right to choose, we won't go to the polls' and 'Putin will swallow Russia's future.' About a thousand protesters in Moscow and a similar number in St. Petersburg chanted slogans such as 'Boycott the elections' and 'Russia without Putin.' Tatiana Cherturikova, a 62-year-old teacher holding a placard that read 'Russia wake up,' told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 'I want at least one (real) election, but they (the ruling party) deny us even that.' Vadim Yartsev, a 17-year-old, expressed skepticism about the protests' impact, saying, 'There is little chance that the protests will lead anywhere; the government will completely ignore us.' Recently, police halted the activities of a television network covering the protests, but Navalny's YouTube channel continues to broadcast live coverage. Police also prevented supporters of the protest leader from moving towards the 'Anti-Corruption Foundation' by claiming a 'bomb threat' nearby and ordering an evacuation. Roman Rubanov, the head of this foundation, tweeted photos showing police presence and their forceful entry into the office near Moscow's commercial center. He stated that police accused one political activist of 'planning a bombing.' The 'OVD-Info' organization also reported that police arrested six of Navalny's supporters in a Moscow television studio. Navalny's spokesperson believes that the police raid aimed to stop the broadcasts of this network. Ahead of the street protests on Sunday, police had also raided other centers, including the central offices of Navalny's supporters in Astrakhan and St. Petersburg, leading to the arrest of several of his supporters. Navalny, who was accused of 'financial crimes' by a court that he and his supporters described as 'engineered,' called for an election boycott. He opposes Putin's re-election, who has been either president or prime minister since 1999. The report adds that after the suppression and elimination of government opponents in recent years by the ruling power, there is little doubt that Putin will regain control of the country. Political experts say that the 65-year-old Putin is eager to take power for another six years with the highest number of votes, as he cannot run for president consecutively for a third time after 2024. Navalny has labeled other presidential candidates as 'puppets' of Putin, claiming that the Kremlin wants to present a 'legitimate and competitive' face to the elections. Despite officials' refusal to grant permission for protests, he urged his supporters to take to the streets and protest. Supporters of Navalny claim that police entered his office under the pretext of a bomb threat and ordered attendees to leave. Rubanov, the head of the foundation, tweeted that police accused one of the activists of planning a bombing. Navalny's supporters' attempts to protest in March and June of last year were also thwarted by police intervention. In January of this year, the Russian Supreme Court ruled that Navalny was not eligible to participate in the presidential elections. Three days prior, police issued a stern warning regarding the holding of 'anti-government protests.' Alexander Gorovoy, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, also stated in a meeting with senior police officials that the government respects the people's right to assemble according to the constitution and within the framework of the law, but warned that they would 'severely prevent any law-breaking.' Protests continue. Navalny called on people on his website on January 27 to take to the streets the next day and protest: 'Staying home will send the message to the government that we will endure the status quo for another six years.' He wrote that in 80% of cases, the government allowed protests in designated areas, but this permission was not granted in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In the protests of March last year, police also raided the protests of Navalny's supporters and arrested over a thousand people. At that time, Navalny intended to organize protests in a hundred cities across Russia. In the previous election, police also raided protests in May 2012. This week, Navalny filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights regarding the Russian government and repeated arrests.