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15 Aug, 2020 18:02

Navalny’s regional organizer arrested as Khabarovsk protests enter sixth week

Navalny’s regional organizer arrested as Khabarovsk protests enter sixth week

The Khabarovsk regional coordinator for Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny has been detained for participating in an unapproved demonstration, as crowds rallied for a sixth weekend in a row.

Alexey Vorsin, a regular fixture at Khabarovsk protests, was arrested after calling for locals to go on strike. He’s due to appear in court on Monday morning.

Khabarovsk residents have been protesting every day since July 11, after hugely popular regional governor Sergey Furgal was arrested on suspicion of ordering two murders, and a third attempted murder, dating back to the 2000s. The now ex-Governor was flown to Moscow, 6000km away from Khabarovsk, where he’s now awaiting trial.

The number of demonstrators has fallen sharply since the middle of June, with this Saturday’s official count being 1,500 people. This number is disputed, however, with some commentators suggesting the true figure is closer to 3,000. 

Throughout the six weeks of protest, certain media outlets have made headlines by apparently inflating the size of the crowd - on Saturday, Siberian news site baikal24 claimed a turnout of 30,000.

Also on rt.com Acting Khabarovsk governor admits he would have joined protests backing predecessor Furgal if he were a native of the region

The protestors in Khabarovsk are demanding that Furgal receives an open trial in the region, instead of a ‘secretive’ trial in Moscow. They have also shown opposition to the new acting governor, Mikhail Degtyarev, who they believe to be a plant with little local area knowledge. 

Moscow prosecutors approved an indictment against Alexey Navalny himself earlier this week. The prominent anti-corruption campaigner and former Moscow mayoral candidate is accused of slandering a World War II veteran and having "inflicted moral harm" on him.

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