You're reading: At least 50,000 rally in Moscow for fair elections

At least 50,000 protesters rallied in central Moscow on Aug. 10, calling for fair local elections and the release of people arrested at recent pro-democracy demonstrations in the Russian capital.

The number of protesters has more than doubled since a similar demonstration on July 20, making it the largest opposition rally in Russia since 2011, according to observers.

Unlike a previous July 27 protest, where 1,388 people were arrested and many beaten, the Aug. 10 rally was approved by city authorities. Famous Russian rappers and bloggers joined in, but their musical performance there was prohibited.

The rapper Face, Krovostok and IC3PEAK bands still performed, however, sharing the stage with celebrity journalist Leonid Parfyonov and comedian blogger Danila Poperechny. The rally, including musical performances, took place peacefully on Akademika Sakharova Ave.

Some observers have noted that the latest series of pro-democracy protests in Moscow bear a strong resemblance to the early days of the EuroMaidan protests in Kyiv – they also grew stronger after the police brutally tried to disperse protesters on Nov. 23, 2013. Those events led to a revolution that drove the Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych from power on Feb. 22, 2014.

The White Counter nongovernmental group estimated the number of protesters in Moscow at 50,000 to 60,000. The police estimated the crowd at 20,000 but stopped issuing updates after that number was surpassed.

The rally wrapped up with protest organizers adopting a resolution that included demands to allow independent candidates to participate in elections, to stop criminal prosecution of protesters and to reform the electoral law.

From the stage, people were encouraged to take a walk near the presidential administration building after the approved part of the rally was over. According to Meduza news website, no more than 1,500 people joined this “unofficial” part of the protest.

OMON special police started to encircle and detain people in and around Staraya Square and Kitay-gorod metro station, both close to the presidential administration office. They used force to carry some protesters away and into police trucks.

Unlike the July 27 protest, during which police beat many protesters and bystanders with truncheons, reports about police brutality at the Aug. 10 rally were scarce.

The OVD Info nongovernmental group reported that one man was beaten and that phones were taken away from a group detained in a police van. One man with a disability was also detained.

OVD Info says that 256 people were detained in Moscow. The police reported that 136 protesters were detained in the city. Another 96 people were detained in other cities throughout Russia where similar protests took place, according to OVD Info.

Similar rallies have been taking place in Moscow since July 14 as part of a protest movement against the refusal to register many opposition candidates for the Moscow City Council elections by the city’s electoral commission and district commission. They claim that opposition candidates did not have enough genuine signatures on their petitions, but pro-democracy activists have refuted that justification. The elections are scheduled for Sept. 8.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not commented on the protests. While at least 50,000 people rallied in Moscow on Aug. 10, Putin rode a motorcycle in occupied Crimea with the Night Wolves biker gang, his close allies and strong supporters of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine.

Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion and a prominent Kremlin critic, has said that the Aug. 10 protest is an ominous sign for Putin.

“A beautiful thing to see, and despite the brutality of the past week. And a reminder that Putin, like every dictator, has no idea when or how his rule will end. Only that it will be sudden,” Kasparov wrote on Twitter.