Moscow authorities have approved the 30,000-strong protest march proposed by Russian opposition movement, the action will take place on June 12, which is also Russia Day state holiday.
“It is the first time since 2011 that the Mayor’s Office has promptly, without long negotiations approved a protest march by the opposition,” the leader of the Left Front movement and member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council Sergey Udaltsov said.
Moscow authorities find it significant to add that the opposition did not file any formal request for holding a public rally after the march.
The rally is timed to mark the start of the trial for Bolotnaya Square case suspects and it will be held in support of 12 activists facing charges in the case, which are named ‘political prisoners’. The action will start at 1 p.m. Moscow time at the city’s central Kaluzhskaya Square, and head towards Bolotnaya Square.
Over 650 people were detained at a protest rally on May 6, 2012, after police clashed with protesters. A total of 12 people are currently facing charges ranging from inciting mass unrest to using violent force against law enforcement officials. Opposition activists say all the allegations are politically motivated and illegal.
Author: Julia Alieva