MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) - Several members and organizers of a Communist Party picket in support of free speech in the center of Moscow Monday were arrested despite a prior request for authorization, the Communist faction of the lower chamber of parliament said.
The faction said the Communist Party notified city authorities of plans to hold a 50-member picket from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Moscow time (11 a.m. to 12 p.m. GMT) in Staraya Square, and did not receive any bans or objections to the picket.
"However, when picketers, led by a member of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma, Valery Rashkin, tried to unfold a slogan, OMON [riot police] and police used force against them, twisted the arms of the MP and several other protesters, and took them to a nearby police precinct," the press service said.
The Moscow police department declined to comment on the incident.
