Moscow, August 12 (Interfax) - The leading Russian human rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, has denounced the decision of the Moscow police to detain participants in the Day of Wrath action that the opposition attempted Friday evening.
"They acted peacefully and had the right to be free from police intervention even though the action had not been permitted by the city authorities," head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alexeyeva told Interfax.
"The police should not have detained participants in the action. Our authorities are afraid of any manifestation of public activeness," Alexeyeva said, noting that city hall has turned down all applications of the Day of Wrath organizing committee to permit rallies and processions.
On Friday evening, the left-wing opposition once again attempted a Day of Wrath procession in the center of Moscow in defense of political and social rights. The city authorities did not give permission for the protest. The police started detaining participants in the action, including opposition figure Konstantin Kosyakin.
