According to a group monitoring protests, Russian law enforcement detained over 100 individuals on Sunday for participating in street demonstrations held to observe the 47th birthday of Alexei Navalny, who is recognized as Russias foremost opposition leader.As of 10:42 p.m. Moscow time (1942 GMT), OVD-Info reported that 109 individuals had been arrested in 23 cities. Following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, authorities have adopted stringent measures to suppress any indications of dissent. Consequently, in most cities, only a small number of individuals were apprehended during the protests.image source: twitterNavalny is currently serving a total of 11 and a half years in prison for convictions related to fraud and contempt of court, which he claims were fabricated to stifle his voice.Videos from Moscow and St. Petersburg, the two largest cities in Russia, depicted law enforcement detaining individual protesters. In one instance, a man briefly displayed a sign before being escorted away by Moscow police. He appeared to be in pain as he groaned while being led away.image source: twitterIn Moscow, another individual who raised a sign in English saying “Free Navalny” was also apprehended by the authorities.In St. Petersburg, a woman who was accompanied by a child informed reporters that she was detained along with her underage child because she was against the war.Navalny, known for his satirical criticism of President Vladimir Putins inner circle and his exposure of widespread corruption, stated in April that an “absurd” terrorism case had been initiated against him, potentially leading to an additional 30-year imprisonment sentence.
