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| Protests for Navalny across Russia on Putin birthday | Protests for Navalny across Russia on Putin birthday |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| More than 130 people have been arrested as supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny hold protests in some 80 cities across Russia, reports say. | |
| They are demanding he be allowed to stand in 2018 presidential elections. | They are demanding he be allowed to stand in 2018 presidential elections. |
| Clashes and arrests have been reported in St Petersburg, where the main protest is taking place. | |
| The rallies coincide with President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday. Most are unauthorised, including those in Moscow and St Petersburg. | The rallies coincide with President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday. Most are unauthorised, including those in Moscow and St Petersburg. |
| Mr Navalny is currently serving 20 days in jail for repeatedly violating a law on organising public meetings. | Mr Navalny is currently serving 20 days in jail for repeatedly violating a law on organising public meetings. |
| It is the third time this year that Mr Navalny has been jailed. | It is the third time this year that Mr Navalny has been jailed. |
| Russia's electoral authorities say he cannot stand in the March vote because of a separate suspended sentence. | Russia's electoral authorities say he cannot stand in the March vote because of a separate suspended sentence. |
| In recent months he has travelled across Russia in a bid to bolster his makeshift election campaign. | In recent months he has travelled across Russia in a bid to bolster his makeshift election campaign. |
| Mr Navalny had been due to attend the main rally taking place on Saturday evening in St Petersburg, Mr Putin's home city. | Mr Navalny had been due to attend the main rally taking place on Saturday evening in St Petersburg, Mr Putin's home city. |
| Media reports say there were mass arrests at the protest, attended by as many as 3,000 people, when a group of demonstrators tried to break through a police line. | |
| A Reuters witness saw at least 10 people detained. | |
| Several other organisers of the rally and leaders of the pro-democracy group Open Russia - sponsored by exiled former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky - were arrested in the city earlier on Saturday, according to human rights website OVD-Info. | |
| Meanwhile several people were arrested as hundreds rallied in Moscow's Pushkin Square, though all were reportedly later released. | |
| The largest number of arrests was 20 in the city of Lipetsk, south-east of Moscow, OVD-Info said. | |
| Protesters shouted "Russia will be free" and "Free Navalny". Others called for Mr Putin not to stand in the election. | Protesters shouted "Russia will be free" and "Free Navalny". Others called for Mr Putin not to stand in the election. |
| Police urged people to disperse but did not move to break up the rally. Some protesters marched towards the Kremlin, but were blocked by police. | |
| Elsewhere demonstrations ranged from a few dozen people to more than 100 in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. | Elsewhere demonstrations ranged from a few dozen people to more than 100 in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. |
| Protest organisers were pre-emptively detained in Smolensk, Tver, Stavropol, Irkutsk, Yakutsk and Perm, media reports say. | Protest organisers were pre-emptively detained in Smolensk, Tver, Stavropol, Irkutsk, Yakutsk and Perm, media reports say. |
| Participants were also reportedly arrested in Pskov, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Samara, Izhevsk, Saratov and Yekaterinburg. | Participants were also reportedly arrested in Pskov, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Samara, Izhevsk, Saratov and Yekaterinburg. |