Tens of thousands of people returned to the streets of Moscow yesterday to demand the release of protesters jailed after opposition rallies this summer, The Times reports.
“Let them go!” chanted demonstrators from across the political spectrum, from liberals to communists, as they gathered on a road named after Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet era dissident. Organisers said that almost 25,000 people attended.
A public outcry has forced the authorities to free Pavel Ustinov, 24, an actor who was jailed for three and a half years on charges of injuring a police officer at a protest last month.
“No one can get a fair hearing in Russian courts – injustice and lawlessness can happen to anyone now,” said Lyubov Sobol, one of the opposition candidates denied registration who helped spearhead the summer protests, Fox News reports.
"Let's be confident of our power. If we come out in force, we will win their release," Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's most visible opponent, said at the rally.
Amid the public outrage, officials dropped charges against some of the protesters, but several people have been sentenced to prison terms of up to four years. Others have remained in custody or under house arrest awaiting court verdicts.