MOSCOW: Foreign governments and rights activists on Sunday expressed outrage over mass arrests in Russia and the brutality with which protests were broken up on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration.
The European Union slammed “police brutality and mass arrests” after nearly 1,600 protesters including opposition leader Alexei Navalny were on Saturday detained in 27 Russian cities during nationwide rallies ahead of Putin’s swearing-in ceremony for a fourth Kremlin term on Monday.
Thousands had taken to the streets heeding a call from Navalny, a charismatic 41-year-old opposition politician, who was barred from challenging Putin in March’s presidential election and called on Russians …read more
Source: theSun
