MOSCOW (AP) – Russian authorities have taken elaborate measures to stop protests against the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, planned by his supporters on Saturday in more than 60 Russian cities.
Navalny’s associates in Moscow and other regions were detained before the rallies. Opposition supporters and independent journalists were approached by police with official warnings against the protests.
Universities and colleges in various Russian regions have asked students not to attend rallies, with some saying they could face disciplinary action, including expulsion.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that “it is natural to have warnings … about the possible consequences of breaking the law” because there are calls for “unauthorized, illegal events”.
Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and the most ardent critic of the Kremlin, was arrested on Sunday when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he spent almost five months recovering from nervous breakdown that he blames the Kremlin. On Monday, a judge ordered Navalny’s detention for 30 days.
He faces up to a year in prison – authorities have accused him of violating the conditions of a suspended sentence in a 2014 conviction for financial acts, including when he was convalescing in Germany.
Navalny’s supporters on Saturday called for nationwide demonstrations to put pressure on the government to release the politician, but they were subdued themselves.
On Thursday night, Moscow police detained three top associates from Navalny. On Friday, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh was ordered to spend nine days in prison, and Georgy Alburov was jailed for 10 days. Navalny’s close ally, Lyubov Sobol, was released Thursday night, but was ordered by a court on Friday to pay a $ 3,300 fine. All three were charged with violating protest regulations.
More than a dozen Navalny activists and allies from several Russian regions were also detained.
Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office and police have issued public warnings against participating in or calling for unauthorized rallies. Prosecutors also asked Roskomnadzor, the Russian media and watchdog on the Internet, to restrict access to websites containing protest calls on Saturday.
On Friday, Russia’s largest social network VKontakte blocked all pages dedicated to rallies.
Roskomnadzor also announced that he would fine social media companies for encouraging minors to participate in protests. The move came amid media reports of calls for demonstrations – and videos of students replacing portraits of President Vladimir Putin in their classrooms with those of Navalny – going viral among teenagers on the TikTok social network.
Russia’s Ministry of Education has issued a statement urging parents to “protect” their children from Saturday’s events, saying “no one has the right to involve young people in various political actions and challenges.”
And the Committee of Inquiry has opened a criminal investigation into the “involvement of minors in illegal activities”, accusing Navalny’s unidentified supporters of encouraging minors to take part in rallies on social networks.
Also on Friday, the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, urged Muscovites not to attend the rally, in a video statement presented by the Moskva24 television station. Sobyanin mentioned concerns about the coronavirus, called the future demonstration “illegal” and said that “law enforcement agencies will ensure the necessary order in the city.”
Navalny’s allies are telling fans not to be discouraged and to show up on Saturday.
“Fear not. Leave the Kremlin. We are on the right and we are the majority “, wrote Lyubov Sobol in a post on Facebook.
Dozens of influential Russians, including actors, musicians, journalists, writers, athletes and popular bloggers, came out with statements in support of Navalny, and some promised to participate in demonstrations.