BBC Online :
Russian police have detained close aides of the jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, whose fans have flooded social media with calls to rally in support of him on Saturday.
Moscow police say any unauthorised demonstrations and provocations will be “immediately suppressed”.
More than 55m people have watched Mr Navalny’s YouTube video about President Vladimir Putin’s alleged luxury Black Sea palace, denied by the Kremlin.Mr Navalny was arrested last Sunday.
After recovering in Berlin from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August, he flew back to Moscow, but was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him. Among those detained in Moscow on Thursday were his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, and one of his lawyers, Lyubov Sobol. They face fines or short jail terms.
Ms Sobol, who has a young child, was later released. But Ms Yarmysh has now been jailed for nine days.
Prominent Navalny activists are also being held in the cities of Vladivostok, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar.
Unauthorised rallies are being planned in cities across Russia for Saturday. Mr Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has drawn millions of followers on social media, through slickly produced videos alleging large-scale official corruption.
Prosecutors have warned people against protesting in support of Mr Navalny on Saturday.
Russian police have detained close aides of the jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, whose fans have flooded social media with calls to rally in support of him on Saturday.
Moscow police say any unauthorised demonstrations and provocations will be “immediately suppressed”.
More than 55m people have watched Mr Navalny’s YouTube video about President Vladimir Putin’s alleged luxury Black Sea palace, denied by the Kremlin.Mr Navalny was arrested last Sunday.
After recovering in Berlin from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August, he flew back to Moscow, but was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him. Among those detained in Moscow on Thursday were his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, and one of his lawyers, Lyubov Sobol. They face fines or short jail terms.
Ms Sobol, who has a young child, was later released. But Ms Yarmysh has now been jailed for nine days.
Prominent Navalny activists are also being held in the cities of Vladivostok, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar.
Unauthorised rallies are being planned in cities across Russia for Saturday. Mr Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has drawn millions of followers on social media, through slickly produced videos alleging large-scale official corruption.
Prosecutors have warned people against protesting in support of Mr Navalny on Saturday.
