More than 600 people arrested in Moscow after clashes over city council election, monitor says - The Washington Post

July 27 at 12:48 PM

MOSCOW — Russian police in riot gear detained hundreds of protesters Saturday opposing the exclusion of opposition politicians from the ballot for an upcoming city council election, marking another flare of anti-government defiance a week after Moscow’s largest opposition rally in years.

Police said around 3,500 people gathered near City Hall for the unauthorized protest organized by prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Earlier this week, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in jail for calling for the demonstration. A handful of other prominent opposition politicians also were arrested before the rally took place.

A monitoring group that tracks political arrests in Russia, OVD-Info, said more than 600 people were detained during the police sweeps Saturday. The Moscow police had earlier said they had made 295 arrests, the Associated Press reported, but did not offer a final number.

Law enforcement officers detain a participant of a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Police also stormed a TV studio belonging to Navalny that was live-streaming the protests on YouTube, and arrested Vladimir Milono, who was in charge of the program. Navalny previously ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow in 2013.

A number of opposition politicians’ names were banned from the ballot for the September city legislative vote after election officials claimed they had not gathered enough signatures to qualify. But their supporters say that the government is intentionally boxing them out from participating in the elections in order to maintain the council’s status quo. There are 45 seats on Moscow’s city council, which is currently controlled by a pro-Kremlin party.

The fight over the council is emblematic of political tests around Russia for Russian President Vladimir Putin such as municipal elections and challenges over building projects. The outcomes do not directly threaten Putin’s grip on the country, but serve as rallying points for opposition groups that have faced relentless pressure from the Kremlin.

Last Saturday, more than 22,000 people gathered for a protest in downtown Moscow in the largest such demonstration in years. This week, protesters chanted "Russia will be free!”

Photos from the scene show police in riot gear detaining protesters and beating them with batons.

The protests involved just a tiny fraction of the 13 million people who live in the city, and it was business as usual in much of the center on a balmy August afternoon. But the recent protests represented perhaps the biggest anti-government groundswell in the Russian capital in recent years.

The main target of the protesters’ ire was Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who is a close ally of Putin.

The protests are the latest sign that Russians are becoming increasingly vocal in voicing their frustration, even if their numbers are still far too few to pose an immediate challenge to Putin’s power. The demonstrations are driven, analysts say, by everything from economic stagnation and anger over government cutbacks and corruption to a rejection of Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

Earlier this summer, protesters took to the streets in Moscow to stand up for Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist who was framed for drug crimes by the police and then released amid public outrage. Across Russia, meanwhile, people have loudly protested local issues in recent months, from the planned construction of a cathedral in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg to a plan for a new landfill in the far north.

O’Grady reported from Washington.

Police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 27, 2019. Russian police are wrestling with demonstrators and have arrested hundreds in central Moscow during a protest demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run for the Moscow city council. (Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/REX (10348393an) Russian riot police block off a street against protesters during a protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 27 July 2019. Activists and protesters say that Russian election authorities are preventing opposition candidates from running in upcoming municipal elections for the Moscow City Duma, according to reports. Opposition protest in Moscow, Russian Federation - 27 Jul 2019 (Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Law enforcement officers clash with protesters during a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

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2019-07-27 18:00:00Z
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Russian Police Arrest Hundreds During Moscow Demonstration - NPR

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Police officers detain a man at protests in Moscow. Police have arrested hundreds of protesters during a demonstration demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run for the Moscow city council. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP hide caption

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Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Police in Moscow have arrested hundreds of people for demonstrating outside of City Hall. Protesters are calling for fair elections and for opposition candidates to be allowed to run for the city council.

Police had detained 648 people by Saturday afternoon, according to the OVD-Info group, an independent monitor that tracks police departments in Russia.

Election authorities barred opposition candidates because they said they didn't have enough valid signatures on nominating petitions. Candidates are required to collect about 5,000 signatures to run for election. The opposition candidates say they've been kept from the ballot for political reasons.

In the lead up to the demonstrations on Saturday, Moscow police rounded up and detained several high-profile opposition politicians, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov. Earlier in the week, authorities arrested one of the most prominent leaders of the opposition, Alexei Navalny, who had called for today's protest. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

NPR's Moscow correspondent Lucian Kim tweeted, "After nighttime raids on opposition leaders, Moscow mayor issues stark warning on unauthorized protest today. Crackdown in full swing."

After nighttime raids on opposition leaders, Moscow mayor issues stark warning on unauthorized protest today. Crackdown in full swing. https://t.co/CkobG1uv1d

— Lucian Kim (@Lucian_Kim) July 27, 2019

Kim added: "Reason for crackdown: Allowing even a few opposition politicians into Moscow city council would grant them legitimacy and exposure. And that could be a slippery slope to further erosion of Kremlin power."

The 45-seat Moscow City Council is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. Those seats have a five-year term, and the entire council is up for re-election on September 8.

The police presence remains heavy outside the mayor's office. The New York Times reports that Moscow is struggling to deal with increasing protests as President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has dropped amid falling incomes.

As Kim reported earlier this week, "The party has become so unpopular nationally that Putin ran for reelection as an independent last year. In upcoming Moscow city council elections, United Russia members have abandoned the party ticket and registered as independents."

In Saturday's protest, some demonstrators shouted, "Moscow will be free!" and "Putin is a thief!"

Petrovka, one of Moscow’s most upscale streets has been blocked now with protesters chanting “Putin is a thief” pic.twitter.com/GePZypIUrr

— Ivan Nechepurenko (@INechepurenko) July 27, 2019

Kim reported that discontent has spread beyond Moscow to places like Pereslavl-Zalessky, a small city 90 miles northeast of the capital.

"Perched on a lake and graced by onion-domed Orthodox churches, Pereslavl-Zalessky ... is hardly a hotbed of opposition politics. Yet as Russian President Vladimir Putin approaches his 20th year in power, anger over bread-and-butter issues is sparking protests across the country," Kim wrote. "Even in sleepy Pereslavl-Zalessky, population 40,000, locals no longer hide their frustration with the powers that be."

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2019-07-27 16:18:00Z
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American teens accused of fatally stabbing Italian cop after drug deal gone wrong - Fox News

Two American teenagers have reportedly confessed to stabbing and killing an Italian police officer who was investigating the theft of a bag after a drug deal gone wrong in Rome.

Italian media reported that a detention order was issued for the suspects, identified as Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth and Lee Elder Finnegan. They are said to have both been born in San Francisco in 2000.

Lee Elder Finnegan (left) and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth (right) are accused of fatally stabbing an Italian police officer after a drug deal gone wrong. (Polizia Di Stato)

They are accused of killing Carabinieri paramilitary officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was reportedly stabbed multiple times.

ITALIAN POLICE AND FBI RAID MAFIA IN SICILY WITH TIE TO GAMBINO FAMILY

The two American teens – believed to be 19 – allegedly snatched a drug dealer’s bag with the phone and cash after he swindled them by giving them aspirin instead of the cocaine they sought, according to reports. The owner of the bag called his phone and one of the thieves allegedly offered to sell the bag back to him for 100 euros ($112).

After they agreed to meet for the exchange, the alleged drug dealer called police.

In this photo released by Carabinieri, is portrayed officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was stabbed to death in Rome early Friday, July 26, 2019. Italian police said Saturday that two 19-year-old American tourists have confessed to fatally stabbing the Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone.

ROME IMPLEMENTS RECYCLING MACHINE FOR TRANSIT CASH

Two plainclothes paramilitary police officers arrived at the scene of the meeting around 3 a.m.

During a scuffle, Rega – who had just returned from his honeymoon with his longtime sweetheart a few days prior - was stabbed 8 times. He died a short while later in hospital.

Prosecutors said that Finnegan is the main suspect, accusing him of fatally stabbing Rega. Meanwhile, Hjorth is accused of using his bare hands to strike the officer’s partner, who wasn’t seriously injured in the attack.

A car of the Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police, is parked near a blood stain, the site where Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome on Friday. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA Via AP)

The Carabinieri said video surveillance cameras and witnesses allowed them to quickly identify the two Americans and find them in a hotel near the scene of the slaying. Police said the pair were “ready to leave” Italy when they were found.

In their hotel room, police found a long knife – possibly the one used to attack Rega – hidden behind the panel in the room’s ceiling. Police also said they found clothes the two purportedly wore during the attack.

A man who was allegedly questioned in the case of a slain Carabinieri policeman is seen on a Carabinieri car as it leaves a police station, in Rome, early Saturday morning, July 27, 2019. A young American tourist has confessed to fatally stabbing an Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag and cellphone before dawn Friday, the Italian news agency ANSA and state radio reported. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Carabinieri statement said the two Americans admitted responsibility after being questioned by prosecutors and faced with “hard evidence.”

"It was me, but I didn't think he was a policeman," Finnegan reportedly told investigators. "I was afraid of being cheated again."

Both suspects are also being investigated for attempted extortion.

Finnegan's lawyer, Francesco Codini, told the Associated Press that his client exercised his right not to respond to question during a detention hearing held Saturday in the Rome jail where the two teens are being kept. Hjorth's lawyer wasn't immediately available for comment.

Two Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police officers, stand near a blood stain, the site where their colleague, Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome. (Associated Press)

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Rega was described as generous and kind by people who knew him He regularly escorted ailing people to a religious shrine in the town of Loreto, his station commander, Sandro Ottaviani, told reporters. His funeral will take place on Monday.

Authorities said the suspected drug dealer has not been caught.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-27 16:12:25Z
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Hundreds detained during opposition election protest in Moscow - CNN

Thousands of Russians pledged to attend the protest in the capital Saturday, after Russian authorities banned a number of independent and opposition candidates from taking part in municipal elections in September.

Authorities stated that the candidates were barred from running because they had failed to obtain a sufficient number of signatures to be put on the ballot paper. Opposition politicians and supporters have rejected this allegation.

The decision has sparked a number of protests across Russia this month, including the largest demonstration in recent years last weekend, when 22,000 people took to the streets. Protesters threatened to hold an even larger demonstration Saturday, which was subsequently declared illegal by the authorities.

Hundreds of riot police were witnessed preparing for the protests Saturday morning, and were later seen linking arms to form a line, pushing protesters away from Moscow's City Hall.

OVD-info, a Russian democracy monitoring organization, said that at least 561 people have been detained thus far during the protests.

CNN witnessed clashes between protesters and police, with at least two protesters left with bloodied faces.

Moscow police said that 3,500 people took part in the protests, including 700 journalists and bloggers.

"A significant number of detainees are not residents of Moscow. All detainees are brought to the territorial police units for investigation," the State Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow said in the statement.

A number of arrests and raids were also carried out on opposition candidates in the days and hours leading up to the protest.

Alexei Navalny, Russia's most outspoken opposition figure, was among those detained during the week, and was later sentenced to 30 days in prison for allegedly violating the country's protest laws by calling for the demonstrations Saturday.

Navalny said on Instagram that he was detained as he left his apartment to go on a jog. "People are right when they say that sport is not always good for your health," he quipped. "I have been detained and am now at a police station wearing shorts like a stupid man."

Dmitry Gudkov, a fellow disqualified candidate, was also detained hours before Saturday's protest. He had previously claimed that the country's future was at stake due to the barring of opposition candidates.

"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said. "What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in."

Ilya Yashin, an ally of Navalny, reported on Facebook that he had also been detained hours before the demonstration following a raid on his house, and had been taken out of the Russian capital.

Other prominent activists to be detained include Kira Yarmysh, Navalyny's spokeswoman, Lyubov Sobo and Ivan Zhdanov.

Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, warned on Twitter that police would react decisively to restore public order.

"According to information from law enforcement authorities, serious provocations are being prepared which pose a threat to the safety, lives and health of people," he said. "Attempts at ultimatums, disorder will not lead to anything good. Order in the city will be maintained."

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2019-07-27 14:30:00Z
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Russian Police Arrest Hundreds at Moscow Election Protest - TIME

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2019-07-27 14:24:27Z
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Italian officer Mario Rega killed: 2 American teens "confessed their deeds" after officer stabbed to death, Rome police say - CBS News

Two American teenagers have been implicated in an Italian policeman's murder and are being held pending formal charges, Italy's Carabinieri police force said Saturday.

The two, both 19 years old, "confessed their deeds" after an Italian paramilitary policeman was fatally stabbed in Rome on Friday while investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone. Elder Finnegan Lee and Christian Gabriel Natale Hjorth are being detained for aggravated murder and attempted extortion, correspondent Seth Doane reports.

A 35-year-old newlywed Carabinieri officer, Mario Rega, was stabbed to death on a Rome street early Friday morning. The Carabinieri said their investigation reveals that shortly before the murder, the two young men stole a backpack from an Italian man, and then threatened him during a phone call that they would not return the backpack unless they were given 100 euros and a gram of cocaine.

Two Italian Carabinieri stand near a blood-stained street where their colleague, Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome, Friday, July 26, 2019. The murder happened a few meters away from a police station and in front of the Italian Court of Cassation. Paolo Santalucia/AP

The man reported the incident to the Carabinieri, who came to the meeting to stop the criminals. But a scuffle unfolded, and the Carabinieri officer was stabbed to death.

Law enforcement found the Americans in their hotel room at Le Méridien Visconti, ready to leave Italy. Police say they searched the room and found the murder weapon – a "knife of considerable size," hidden behind a ceiling panel.

Populist politicians have taken to social media today railing against "foreign animals" being allowed in Italy.

Rega, the slain officer, was from Somma Vesuviana, Italy. He did volunteer work with the poor, accompanied sick people to Catholic shrines, and brought meals to the homeless at Rome's main station. His funeral on Monday will be at the same church where he was married just 43 days ago.

The two Americans are reportedly from California. A lawyer for one of the men was spotted arriving at Regina Coeli, the Rome jail where they are being held.

A preliminary hearing is being held to determine whether to formally charge them.

© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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2019-07-27 14:05:00Z
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Moscow Police Arrest More Than 400 at Election Protest - The New York Times

MOSCOW — The police in Moscow arrested more than 500 people who had gathered outside City Hall on Saturday to protest what they call unfair elections and demand that opposition candidates be allowed to run for city government.

In anticipation of the unauthorized demonstration, the authorities on Wednesday arrested Aleksei A. Navalny, a foe of President Vladimir V. Putin and a major opposition leader, and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.

Other prominent opposition politicians — including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry G. Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov — have also been detained. A post on the Facebook page of Mr. Yashin, a street activist, said 10 masked police officers had removed him from his apartment in Moscow overnight before the Saturday demonstration.

The Moscow City Council has 45 seats and is responsible for a very large municipal budget. It is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for election on Sept. 8.

To compete in the elections, candidates not endorsed by a political party must collect about 5,000 signatures, depending on the size of their district. Election officials have so far registered nearly 200 candidates, all of whom are largely supportive of Mr. Putin.

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Law enforcement officers detaining a woman during the protest on Saturday.CreditMaxim Shemetov/Reuters

But Moscow’s electoral commission has refused to register several prominent opposition candidates, saying that they had failed to collect enough valid signatures to place them on the September ballot. The candidates, including allies of Mr. Navalny, said the signatures were genuine.

The decision by the electoral authorities to bar some opposition candidates has already sparked days of demonstrations this month. The election dispute comes as the Kremlin is struggling with how to deal with rising opposition in the capital of 12.6 million people.

The protest, which was called by Mr. Navalny, appeared intended also to raise the pressure on Russia’s tightly-controlled political system at a time when Mr. Putin’s rating has dropped because of discontent over years of falling real incomes.

The number of arrests, 561 by Saturday afternoon, was reported by OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks data from police precincts. The police could be seen using pepper spray on some crowds.

One of those detained, Alexander Latyshev, 45, told Reuters that he had come to Moscow from the nearby Vladimir region to discuss business with an associate and been randomly arrested by the police.

“I was just sitting on a bench” when they took him, he said from inside a police bus.

There was a heavy police presence at the Moscow mayor’s office on Tverskaya Street, one of Moscow’s main thoroughfares, with police trucks and buses parked in the building’s courtyard and other buses positioned nearby to take detainees away, according to The Associated Press.

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2019-07-27 13:13:14Z
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