MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Russian Interior Ministry investigators apprehended the chairwoman of the "Alliance of Doctors" trade union (a "Navalny’s Trade Union" subsidiary) Anastasia Vasilyeva as a suspect in a case of sanitary and epidemiologic norms violation, her lawyer Dmitry Djulay told TASS Thursday.

"Vasilyeva is a suspect in a criminal case, initiated over [violation of sanitary and epidemiologic rules]. The investigators apprehended her for 48 hours," the lawyer said, adding that the restraint measure will be decided on later. "It will probably be a travel restriction."

Earlier, Russian blogger Alexey Navalny’s brother Oleg, Anti-Corruption Foundation employee Lyubov Sobol and Pussy Riot group member Maria Alyokhina were apprehended for 48 hours over the same suspicion. According to the Ministry of the Interior spokeswoman Irina Volk, the organizers and participants of the January 23 unauthorized rally created a threat of coronavirus infection spread. For example, the Moscow rally was attended by people that were previously isolated at home due to positive coronavirus test.

Moscow COVID-19 anti-crisis center reported earlier that at least 19 people that were officially ordered to remain indoors due to positive coronavirus tests attended the rallies.

Following the rally, the law enforcement initiated four criminal cases over violence against police officers, a case on hooliganism, one case on damaged Federal Security Service vehicle, and a case on traffic blocking. According to reports, some 600 people were apprehended during the rallies.