Russians picket in support of political prisoners
A series of one-man protests in support of Russian political prisoners took place in St. Petersburg with about 10-15 people lining up with posters along Nevsky Prospect, Rosbalt.ru reports.
"The signs demanded the release of political prisoners. We also tried to draw attention to the beginning of new mass political repressions in Russia. This is evidenced by the cases brought against the participants of the protests on March 26 and June 12. These events show that the ‘Bolotnaya Square Case’ is being repeated, that nothing in the country is changing. We also distributed leaflets with the list of resources, where you can learn more about the fate of political prisoners and account numbers for financial assistance, " said a participant in the picketing, Olga Smirnova.
Prior to the picketing on the corner of Malaya Sadovaya Street and Nevsky Prospekt, priest and LGBT activist Alexander Khmelev was detained. His associates reported that he was kept overnight at the police station.
"They kept him for the night. But a criminal case, as he said earlier, will not be filed. He has been threatened with an administrative article for violating the rules of residence. Tomorrow, the case will be examined in court," Smirnova said.