RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER, AT LEAST 700 PROTESTORS ARRESTED|俄反貪腐遊行 異議領袖在內傳700人被捕

On March 26th, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained in central Moscow during a rally he had called. The protests followed allegations that Medvedev, the prime minister and former president, had amassed a huge fortune that far outstripped his official salary. On Mar. 26, Russian police detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny in central Moscow during a rally which Navalny had called to protest against corruption. Navalny, who hopes to run against Russian President Vladimir Putin, was then arrested as he walked along central Moscow's Tverskaya Street with supporters, as part of an illegal rally. Police put Navalny in a van. Hundreds of protesters crowded around, trying to open its doors and prevent it from taking Navalny away, however, the van left with Navalny in it. ==VLADIMIR protest participant == If he (Dmitry Medvedev) is guilty of these lies, this corruption, all which is stated in the framework of the constitution, then of course he must be punished. How? Of course it is up to the court. But because our higher courts today are subject to this very corruption, this case will not be investigated. ==LYUDMILA protest participant == One man cannot do anything, but a large number - they can at least show that it is impossible to live like this any longer, impossible. But I am afraid it will not be enough. I am afraid they (the authorities) need to be hit over the head - then they maybe will realise what's happening. But so far the people are silent. At similar demonstrations in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, police detained dozens of protesters in the biggest demonstrations since the 2011 anti-Kremlin demonstrations. Grigory Okhotin, one of the founders of OVD Info, a human rights organisation which monitors detentions, said on Mar. 26, around 600 people had been detained in Moscow. Police said around 7,000-8,000 people were on Tverskaya Street and surrounding areas by mid-afternoon and put the number of detentions at around 500. As evening drew in, hundreds of riot police drove protesters away from the city's main Tverskaya street and surrounding areas. The liberal opposition, which Navalny represents, have little chance of fielding a candidate capable of unseating Putin, who enjoys high ratings. Navalny and his supporters hope to channel public discontent over official corruption to attract more support. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR