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Over 20 Chistoprudny Boulevard action activists detained by police

Police have detained more than 20 activists of the Chistoprudny Boulevard camp in Moscow
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, May 16 (Itar-Tass) — Police have detained more than 20 activists of the Chistoprudny Boulevard camp in Moscow, the press service of the Moscow main police department told Itar-Tass.

“After the Metro opening the police have started to enforce the court decision that demanded the ‘camp’s’ liquidation. Those people who were staying in an indefinite protest action at the monument to Abai Kunanbayev were notified of the court judgment and some of them left the camp on their own,” a police spokesman said.

However, more than 20 people flatly refused to leave and so they were detained by police “pending clarification of the circumstances and the decision on bringing them to administrative responsibility.”

“The public order on the boulevard has been restored, the community services started cleaning up the territory,” the city main police department said.

Meanwhile, the opposition groups are going to move along the city boulevards, and announced through the web social networks Trubnaya Square as the place for gathering.

The so-called “mass walk” of protesters started in Moscow overnight to May 8. Throughout the day the protesters had been moving from one boulevard to another because riot police cut short all their protest acts. Several hundred people were detained, but most of them were released shortly after being delivered a corrective lecture. On May 9, the opposition set up an illegal compound on Chistoprudny Boulevard near the monument to Abai Kunabayev, calling the action “occupy Abai.”

On Tuesday, the Basmanny Court obligated the authorities to liquidate the opposition “camp,” thus satisfying the claim of the district’s residents. In accordance with the court ruling, the police must “stop the public action, which violates public order,” and the local authorities - to restore order and ensure the citizens’ safety.

At the same time, the ‘camp” activists have decided that it will exist on Chistoprudny Boulevard until 11:30, Moscow time, and if the police appears, its members will begin to move along the city boulevards. The police earlier demanded the action participants to leave the area by 12:00 on Wednesday.