You're reading: In protest of Nemtsov jailing 35 detained

For the second straight day, police in Moscow on Tuesday detained demonstrators protesting the jailing of one of the most prominent figures in Russia's beleaguered opposition.

Police said 35 people were detained Tuesday for holding an unauthorized demonstration, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported. But a spokeswoman for the umbrella opposition movement Solidarity, Olga Shorina, told the Interfax news agency that all were released about three hours later and that only one will face charges.

The protesters were denouncing the jailing for 15 days of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was arrested along with more than 60 others at a rally on New Year’s Eve. On Monday, 14 people objecting to his jailing were held by police for several hours.

The U.S. State Department on Monday expressed concern about Nemtsov’s arrest, prompting a top Russian legislator to accuse Washington of interfering in Russia’s internal affairs.

Nemtsov was arrested after leaving an authorized protest rally, and police claimed he and others were heading for another, unauthorized rally.

In recent years, Russia has persistently stifled opposition groups by granting them permission to rally only rarely and swiftly breaking up any attempts to hold unsanctioned gatherings.

In response, opposition supporters have rallied on the 31st day of every month with 31 days, a nod to the 31st Article of the Russian constitution, which guarantees the right of assembly. In October and again in December, authorities gave rare approval to the end-of-the-month gatherings.

"We were pleased months ago that Moscow authorities had reversed their previous policy and decided to allow peaceful demonstration. So we regret that these arrests have taken place … We reiterate the importance of embracing and protecting universal values, including freedom of expression and assembly," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday.

Russia consistently bristles at Western criticism of it for backsliding on democracy, and Crowley’s comments brought a sharp retort from Alexander Kozlovsky, deputy head of the Russian parliament’s lower-house foreign affairs committee.

"We are far from interfering in the affairs of American law-enforcement and judiciary structures, we respect the sovereignty of the American government, and we have a right to expect the same attitude from our American partners," he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Nemtsov was a deputy prime minister under Boris Yeltsin and helped form the liberal Union of Right Forces party. The party lost all its seats in parliament in the 2003 elections that saw the pro-Kremlin United Russia party gain overwhelming domination of the legislature. Since 2008, Nemtsov has been one of the leaders of the Solidarity group.