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Over 60 detained near Moscow Khamovniki Court as Pussy Riot trial ends

The detainees include Garri Kasparov and Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, August 17 (Itar-Tass) — More than 60 people were detained near the Moscow Khamovniki District Court, which sentenced three Pussy Riot punk band members to two years on Friday for an act of hooliganism at the Christ the Savior Cathedral.

“More than 60 people were taken to police stations,” the police told Itar-Tass. The police said both supporters and opponents of Pussy Riot were detained.

Administrative charges will be brought against some of them, the police said.

The detainees include Garri Kasparov and Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov. Both said they could not understand why they were detained.

“I was bruised seriously in the detention. I do not need medical aid, I can stand that,” Kasparov told Itar-Tass by phone.

In turn, Udaltsov told Itar-Tass he was accused of organizing an unpermitted assembly of citizens. “They charged me under Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. They said I had allegedly organized an unpermitted gathering of citizens near the Khamovniki Court, which impeded pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The 365th justice of peace will hear the case on August 23. I may have to pay a fine of up to 30,000 rubles,” Udaltsov said. He said he would be released from the police station soon.

Meanwhile, the police are preparing to submit materials to the Russian Investigative Committee on Kasparov’s biting an officer. “An officer of the second operative regiment of the Moscow city police department was bitten by citizen Kasparov in his detention near the Khamovniki court,” the police said. Doctors confirmed that the officer had bites on his palm and an index finger.

Pussy Riot supporters shouted “Shame” when the sentence was passed, and opponents lauded the sentence.

Generally, all is quiet near the court, and people start leaving. Opposition blogger Alexei Navalny, who listened to the sentence in the court room, left immediately after the sentence was read out.

Deputy Dmitry Gudkov, journalist Leonid Parfyonov, writer Dmitry Bykov and opposition member Vladimir Ryzhov came to the court to support Pussy Riot singers.