Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained by police on his way to a political rally in Moscow.
The activist posted a video to Instagram in the early hours of Friday morning, saying officers were outside his home and summoning him to a police station.
The following afternoon he tweeted from a police station to say he was being held without charge.
Mr Navalny, the head of the politically centrist Progress party, which campaigns against corruption, is one of the country's most prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin.
He had planned to run against the country's longstanding leader in December's presidential elections, but was barred from standing in June after being found guilty of embezzlement earlier in the year.
He had planned on Friday to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod for the latest in a series of regional demonstrations in support of his opposition bid, against corruption and in protest at United Russia, the ruling party to which Mr Putin belongs.
In his tweet on Friday afternoon Mr Navalny said the Kremlin viewed him as a "huge threat".
"They were saying for so long that opposition has no support in the regions, and it now pains them to even look at our rallies," he said.
In recent months the activist has been targeted by authorities on numerous occasions.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail after being arrested on his way to an anti-Kremlin protest in June, and has had green liquid thrown into his face by unknown assailants.
The rallies have attracted thousands of people, and have recently focused on broadening support for opposition politics in more remote regions of Russia.
Some 10,0000 people showed up to a recent St Petersburg rally, and at one Moscow demonstration 800 were arrested.
But the Kremlin has dismissed Mr Navalny's political campaign, branding him a cosmopolitan out of touch with the needs and desires of ordinary people.
The Russian interior ministry said in a statement on Friday that it had detained the activist on account of his calls for unsanctioned rallies.
FOLLOW US ON:
Connect with Joshua Osagie (Blog owner)
WHEN ON WEB VIEW, SEE OUR TOP LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE BAR FOR LIVE STREAM NEWS CHANNELS (GLOBAL AND NIGERIAN )
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
FOLLOW US ON:
> The Forefront on Twitter
>BBM Channel: C002CB006 {WELCOME TO THE FOREFRONT
>{Instagram: the_forefront_nigeria }
Connect with Joshua Osagie (Blog owner)
Share this post now with others on social media. Use media options below.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer!!! Opinions expressed in comments do not represent THE FOREFRONT MEDIA NG's views. All participants are entitled to their opinions. Thank you!!!
Advertise on the Forefront: For advert placement in the blog or advert posts like news updates, reach +2348124620827 [WhatsApp].
Copyright 2023 The Forefront Media Ng. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from The Forefront Media Ng