MOSCOW (AP) — Police have detained opposition activists to prevent them from protesting in central Moscow against the Kremlin's stifling of democratic freedoms.
An Associated Press reporter saw 10 to 15 demonstrators hustled onto police buses.
Organizers had not received permission to hold the protest, the latest in a series held at the end of every month with 31 days. The number corresponds with Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly.
Small protests also were held Saturday in other Russian cities.
These protests are separate from the demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s rule.
