Support Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny, Russia Detains 1,400 Protesters

JAKARTA - Russian police arrested more than 1,400 protesters on Wednesday, April 20 local time, when dozens of cities in Red Bear Country staged demonstrations in support of critic Kremlin Alexei Navalny.

The demonstration was held to demand the release of Navalny, who was imprisoned by Russia, as well as to call for proper health care for him. Navalny's health condition is said to have deteriorated after three weeks of hunger strike, because of Navalny's desire to get doctor care related to back pain and numbness in his legs.

OVD-Info, a group that monitors protests and detentions, said 1,496 people had been arrested, including 662 in St. Petersburg and 95 in Ufa city.

Protesters in central Moscow chanted, "Freedom to Navalny!" and 'Let the doctors in!' Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia, joined the protests in the capital. Russian police say 6,000 people protested illegally in Moscow.

Dozens of police vans were deployed to downtown Moscow. Square, where activists want to gather, is closed with metal barriers, such as Red Square.

About 300 people protested in Vladivostok, some carrying banners reading 'Freedom for political prisoners and 'No war, oppression, and torture!'.

"Everyone realizes that the current authorities have nothing new to propose for the country. We need a new generation of politicians. I see Navalny as one of them", said Ilya, a 19-year-old student in the city of Vladivostok.

Elsewhere, riot police used force to make arrests. In Magadan, in Russia's far east, officers forced a man to the ground and stuck his arm behind him.

Not only individuals, but the Navalny activist network group also faced pressure from the Russian government. State prosecutors in Moscow initiated legal action last week to ban Navalny's support group, calling it an extremist organization.

Apart from detaining the protesters, Russian authorities also detained spokesman Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, and his colleague Lyubov Sobol near their homes, before the demonstration was held.

Yarmysh was later jailed for 10 days at trial for inciting people to protest. Meanwhile, Sobol was released ahead of the trial on Thursday. European Council President Charles Michel called their arrests pathetic.

Separately, United States Senator Bob Menendez, who also serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Committee, urged the Russian government to provide medical care to Navalny and called for sanctions.

"This is the barbarism that is happening in real-time, and we cannot stand still", he said.

To note, the Russian police also detained nearly a thousand supporters of Navalny, in a demonstration against the prison sentence for Navalny on February 2. Previously, thousands of protesters supporting Navalny were also detained, including his wife, when demanding Navalny's release at the end of January.