 Source: HRO.org (info) On 6 April 2014, protesters demonstrating on Manezhnaya Square in support of the prisoners in the "Bolotnaya Square" case were themselves detained. According to the news website Grani.ru, which quoted OVD-Info.org, the NGO monitoring police activities, six activists had their hands in the air as if holding placards, even though there were no placards. They were arrested nonetheless. Prior to this, the police had detained four other protesters who were taking part in the demonstration. Two of them later carried out single-person pickets, while the other two protesters tried to pull the detained protesters out of the prisoner transport vehicle.  Late at night, the detainees, who had been taken from Manezhnaya Square to the police station on the Arbat, were released, having been charged under Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (breaching established procedure for organising or holding meetings, rallies or demonstrations). The police report on the activists who were standing on Manezhnaya Square with invisible placards stated that they were breaching picketing procedure by holding up their hands to pretend they were carrying placards. The "Strategy 6" street protest campaign organises gatherings and single-person pickets on the 6th of each month to call for the release of the "Bolotnaya Square" prisoners and all other political prisoners. Translated by Suzanne Eade Roberts |
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