Dozens arrested at Moscow protest after opposition crackdown

Russian police arrested dozens of people as they gathered at Moscow city hall Saturday to demand free and fair elections, an AFP journalist said, following a crackdown on the opposition.

Thousands of Russians had vowed to take to the streets of the capital after authorities refused to allow opposition and independent candidates to stand for Moscow's city council in September.

Investigators raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates in the run-up to the protest, while top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling for the demonstration.

Other leading opposition figures and would-be candidates were arrested in the hours leading up to the event.

The Saturday protest is the latest in a series of rallies over the local election, which comes amid declining living standards and a fall in President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings.

Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's 20 years in power.

Security was tight in central Moscow on Saturday and an AFP journalist said at least 50 people had been arrested before the planned start of the demonstration at two pm local time (1100 GMT).

Protest monitoring organisations reported dozens more arrests.

Politician and disqualified candidate Dmitry Gudkov was arrested shortly before the march. Earlier he had said the future of the country was at stake.

"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said.

"What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in."
"Authorities arrest people who want to challenge them. Look at what they're doing -- the authorities do not like the people."