Mourning for Navalny: Hundreds of arrests in Russia’s cities

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Death of the Kremlin critic
Russia punishes mourning for Navalny – hundreds of arrests in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Police officers observe a crying woman commemorating the late Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny at a monument in Saint Petersburg

© Dmitri Lovetsky / AP / DPA

Those who mourn the dead opposition figure Alexei Navalny in Russia are disrupting public order. This is what the Russian authorities say and are threatening severe penalties.

After the death of the Kremlin opponent With Alexei Navalny in custody, Russian courts have so far imposed more than 200 sentences in urgent proceedings against the mourners taking part in spontaneous remembrance. In St. Petersburg alone, the courts in the metropolis ordered arrest or fines against 199 people, and there were also several such administrative punishments in the Russian capital Moscow. In St. Petersburg, more than 154 people were held in a detention cell, most of them for several days.

Since Friday, people in Russia have been laying flowers or lighting candles at monuments to the victims of political violence in Russia. According to civil rights activists, there were more than 400 arrests in more than 30 cities across the country.

Navalny mourners face severe fines

According to the protocols, the sentences in the St. Petersburg courts were imposed for disturbing public order after unauthorized gatherings in a public place. According to the law in Russia, this can result in a fine of up to 20,000 rubles, compulsory work hours for the general public or up to 15 days of arrest.

According to official information, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s opponent died on Friday in the prison camp with the unofficial name “Polar Wolf”. The cause of death and the location where the body is kept remain unclear. According to official information, after many days in repeatedly ordered solitary confinement, the physically weakened Navalny collapsed while walking in the yard in the camp north of the Arctic Circle in freezing temperatures. According to the prison service, attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.

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DPA

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