Over 1500 People Arrested in Protests Against Vladimir Putin

Reports indicate that during street protests on Saturday, May 15, against Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, more than 1500 protesters were arrested in various cities across the country. Putin has been in power either as President or Prime Minister since 2000 and was declared the winner of the Russian presidential election two months ago, set to govern until 2024. He is to be sworn in for a fourth term in two days, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called on the public to engage in nationwide protests ahead of Putin's inauguration. Putin is the second leader to hold power for such a long time after Joseph Stalin, who ruled for 30 years. Navalny, who was also arrested on Saturday, accused the Russian president of reviving the autocratic laws of the Tsarist era. Reuters reported, citing a human rights monitoring organization in Russia, that based on information received, 1,029 people were arrested on Saturday, 475 of whom were detained in Moscow alone. Another report from Reuters mentioned Navalny's arrest. The Russian Election Commission rejected his eligibility to compete against Putin in the elections due to allegations of "financial corruption" made by the Russian government, allowing Putin to win the election easily without serious competition last month. Navalny, who called the corruption charges "fabricated," had called for street protests in over 90 cities in Russia ahead of Putin's presidential oath. He was arrested shortly after appearing in Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow, where protesters were chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Death to the Tsar." Photos of his arrest circulating online show five police officers forcibly putting the opposition leader into a vehicle. He had previously been detained during his election campaign. Reuters journalists reported that police systematically arrested protesters, and in some cases, these arrests were accompanied by violence. Access to the central square of St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, was also blocked. Pavel Kuznetsov, a street protester, told Reuters that he and others took to the streets to "protest against an election designed for a dictator to seize power." He likened the previous Russian elections to a "puppet show." Many cities across Russia, from the easternmost points to Siberia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and others witnessed street protests. The 65-year-old Putin, who had the support of the ruling party and state television during the elections, was declared the winner with 77% of the public vote. His supporters have dubbed him a "national pride" and "father of the nation" for expanding the country's influence from Ukraine to Syria. Russian officials declared most of Saturday's public protests, including in Moscow, illegal, claiming that the time and place of the protests were not coordinated with the government. The Russian president accused Navalny of inciting chaos in the country on behalf of Washington, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev labeled him a "political charlatan." European observers noted that there were unfair pressures against voices opposing Putin during the Russian presidential elections, and there was no real option (as a rival to Putin) in the election. Navalny also accused Putin of facilitating the creation of "a corrupt autocratic system." He further stated that "the illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 has led to the country's isolation."