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UK Foreign Office Urge Russia to Release People Detained at Unauthorized Rallies

© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankPolice officers detain a participant in the unauthorized anti-corruption rally on Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow
Police officers detain a participant in the unauthorized anti-corruption rally on Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow - Sputnik International
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The UK Foreign Office on Monday urged Russian authorities to release all those detained by police during recent unauthorized rallies in the country.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny organized an anti-corruption rally without the permission of Moscow authorities in the Russian capital, which was attended by some 8,000 people with some 600 people, including Navalny himself, being detained by police. The rallies also took place in Saint Petersburg, Voronezh, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, as well as other cities.

"The UK is concerned by the detention on 26 March of hundreds of Russian citizens following organised protests… The UK calls on the government of Russia to release citizens detained during peaceful demonstrations, and to comply with its international commitments in the Council of Europe and the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]," a Foreign Office spokesperson said, as quoted in a statement.

The spokesperson claimed that the protesters exercised their fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

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The Russian Interior Ministry stated that most of those detained on Moscow had already been released, with only those held over with administrative offenses still left behind. The detentions have led to numerous foreign ministries expressing concern over alleged curbs to freedom of expression.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by noting that Russian authorities respected the people's right to express their civil stance but not those who provoked illegal actions. Peskov stressed that law enforcement officials conducted themselves lawfully and professionally in their response to Sunday's unsanctioned rallies.

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