February 2, 2014, a rally against Kremlin policy was held in Moscow. Up to five thousand people came out for the march with the demand to free political prisoners and the aim to support Ukraine.
Opposition members demanded that political prisoners be freed. The march’s participants also expressed their support for Ukrainians who have been been engaged for three months. They carried posters with, “Russia will be free”, “where there are political prisoners, there is no place for Olympic games”, “Give us freedom, or we’ll give you Maidan”.
People held flags from the Solidarity movement, Parnas, and Left Front as well as Ukrainian national flags. The main demand of protestors was the immediate release of the opposition activists imprisoned on May 2012 at Bolotnaya Square in Moscow – on the eve of the inauguration of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Among the participants there were opposition leaders, including former prime-minister Mikhail Kasyanov and former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov.
On May 6, 2012, a large anti-Putin protest, the “March of the Millions,” descended into chaos as it was broken up by police on Bolotnaya Square, Moscow. Around 15,000 protestors took part in the demonstration demanding fair presidential and parliamentary elections. More than 450 of them were arrested. There were a lot of people hurt on both sides. According to the official investigation committee, 82 policemen were injured. The charge sheet included 29 people accused of participating in a mass movement. They are under threat of imprisonment for 8 years in the general regime colonies. Trials in Moscow of eight of the rally’s participants is coming to an end, and the prosecutor is demanding 5 to 6 years imprisonment for each of them.
Translated by Olga Senkiv
Source: ipress.ua
