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More than 650 people held at Moscow rally, 80% already released - presidential council

About 1,500 people took part in an unsanctioned protest rally in Moscow on Saturday

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. A total of 658 people were hauled off for public order offenses in Moscow during an unauthorized rally of opposition blogger Alexey Navalny on Saturday, and 80% of them, including all minors, have been already released, sources from the presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights told TASS on Sunday.

The council said "279 of them were Muscovites and 379 - from other towns". It said all minors and Navalny himself had been released. "All in all, 122 people detained for 48 hours remain at police stations, most of them were violating public order already after the unsanctioned rally, trying to blockade traffic in Moscow streets and resisting law enforcement officers," sources from the Council said.

About 1,500 people took part in an unsanctioned protest rally in Moscow on Saturday.

On April 20, the rally organizers filed an application with the Moscow mayor’s office for carrying out a march from the Tverskaya Zastava Square to Okhotny Ryad Street, 2, in downtown Moscow, with a subsequent rally. The city administration authorized the rally, but let the organizers choose between two venues which the organizers rejected. Later, the authorities agreed for the rally to be held at another venue - Akademician Sakharov Avenue, in central Moscow. However, Navalny stated that the organizers do not agree with it. The official rejection to hold an event automatically bans its organizers from holding any other actions on this day.

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