Alexei Navalny, Russia warns of protests after Putin critic Navalny’s death

Protests are illegal in Russia under strict anti-dissent laws. (file)

Moscow:

Moscow warned people on Friday against taking to the streets to protest, hours after the death of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Images on social media showed people laying flowers at monuments to victims of political repression in honor of Navalny, who Russian authorities said died on Friday in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Were cutting.

The prosecutor’s office in the Russian capital said it was aware of online calls “to take part in a mass rally in the center of Moscow” and said it was “necessary to warn against violating the law”.

Protests are illegal in Russia under strict anti-dissent laws, with authorities cracking down particularly hard on rallies in support of Navalny.

In Moscow, dozens of people laid red and white roses at the Solovetsky Stone, a memorial to victims of Soviet-era repression in front of the headquarters of Russia’s FSB security services – the former home of the feared Soviet secret police.

At least one person was detained for holding a placard that appeared to have “killer” written on it, according to a video posted by the independent Sota Telegram channel.

A handful of people were also photographed gathering to lay flowers on a bridge next to the Kremlin, where Putin critic Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in 2015.

And police were filmed dispersing people gathered in the snow at a monument in the central city of Kazan.

Some large demonstrations also took place in Tbilisi, Yerevan and Belgrade – home to large populations of Russians who fled the country following Moscow’s military attack on Ukraine.

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