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Post by david g. on Apr 14, 2007 12:30:26 GMT -5
Putin foes clash with police in Moscow www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/4715288.html MOSCOW — Hundreds of demonstrators defied authorities today by trying to stage an anti-government rally banned from a landmark downtown square, setting off sporadic clashes with police across Moscow and bringing a wave of arrests. A coalition of opposition groups organized the "Dissenters March" to protest the economic and social policies of President Vladimir Putin as well as a series of Kremlin actions that critics say has stripped Russians of many political rights. Thousands of police officers massed to keep the demonstrators off Pushkin Square, beating some protesters and detaining many others, including Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion who has emerged as the most prominent leader of the opposition alliance. Police said 170 people had been detained but a Kasparov aide, Marina Litvinovich, said as many as 600 people were detained — although she said about half were released quickly. Kasparov himself was reportedly freed late today after he was fined $38 for participating in the rally.
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