Vigils and rallies had been held in cities throughout Russia and in lots of world capitals to honour Russian opposition chief Alexey Navalny who died in a distant Arctic penal colony.
On Saturday, the OVD-Information protest monitoring group mentioned greater than 170 folks had been detained throughout Russia at memorials to pay their respects to and grieve for the 47-year-old politician who was a outstanding opponent of President Vladimir Putin.
The federal jail service mentioned that Navalny fell unconscious and died on Friday after a stroll within the “Polar Wolf” penal colony the place he was serving a 19-year sentence, prompting an outpouring of grief and shock amongst his supporters the world over and condemnation from world leaders.
Within the capital, Moscow, lots of of flowers and candles laid for Navalny had been principally taken away in a single day in black luggage. Movies and images shared on Russian social media additionally confirmed flowers being cleared from monuments to victims of Soviet-era repression throughout the nation.
Protests are unlawful in Russia below strict anti-dissent legal guidelines, and the authorities have clamped down significantly harshly on rallies in help of Navalny.
All over the world, leaders mentioned the Russian authorities was solely answerable for this demise. In capitals from Tbilisi, Georgia, and Berlin, Germany, to Washington, DC, and London, vigils had been held in Navalny’s reminiscence, together with protests in entrance of Russian embassies.