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ST. PETERSBURG, August 1 (Itar-Tass) —— The police detained about 50 protesters at an unauthorized rally in protection of the freedom of assemblies in downtown St. Petersburg on Sunday evening, spokesperson of the regional police department Yelena Sukhanova said.
“After numerous warnings that the action is illegal the protesters were detained. They are being kept at the territorial police stations,” Sukhanova said. The detained protesters are accused of administrative offences, particularly the disobedience to the lawful demands from the police and the participation in an unauthorized rally. The protest action began at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Sunday on the Nevsky Avenue near the Gostiny Dvor railway station.
A detainee can be charged with an attack on a policeman, who was hit in the face on Sunday. “The offence of the detainee is being investigated. He may be brought to administrative or criminal responsibility,” the police source elaborated.
The Sunday rally is the tenth protest action under the Strategy 31 campaign in St. Petersburg since 2010. The Strategy 31 campaign is the movement in defence of the freedom of assemblies that brought together various opposition organizations. The St. Petersburg authorities authorized no action of this movement in the city.