MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained during a weekend protest on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a fourth term, has been released and faces a court hearing next week, his lawyer said Sunday.

The charismatic 41-year-old politician, who was barred from challenging Putin in March's presidential election, had called on Russians to stage rallies across the country on Saturday under the slogan "Not our Tsar".

Nearly 1,600 protesters were detained in 27 cities across Russia, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks arrests.

Navalny, who was grabbed by police and carried away by his arms and legs shortly after he appeared in Moscow's packed Pushkin Square, was released shortly after midnight, he said.

"It appears they received an order 'do not put him behind bars before the inauguration'," Navalny said on Twitter, referring to the Moscow authorities.

He added that he was accused of organising an unsanctioned rally and resisting police.

Navalny's lawyer Veronika Polyakova told AFP on Sunday that a Moscow court would convene next Friday to hear his case.

The hearing will come after Putin's planned swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

In January, Navalny was also detained over an unauthorised rally and was formally charged then released.

He had faced up to 30 days in jail and said at the time that the authorities wanted to keep him in jail on election day to prevent him from holding rallies -- but a planned court hearing was abruptly cancelled.

The anti-corruption blogger has faced a string of administrative and criminal charges that he and his supporters see as politically motivated since he became the leading opposition figure campaigning against Putin's rule at mass demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.</s>MOSCOW (AP) — Alexei Navalny, the leader of protests against President Vladimir Putin that resulted in the arrests of more than 1,500 demonstrators across Russia, says he has been released from detention but faces two charges.

Navalny said Sunday on Twitter that he had been released after being arrested on Moscow’s Pushkin Square on Saturday. He said he faces charges of organizing an unauthorized meeting and of resisting police. Each of those charges can carry a jail sentence of 15 days.

OND-Info, an organization that monitors Russian political arrests, said at least 1,575 people were arrested in demonstrations in 26 cities across Russia protesting Putin’s upcoming inauguration Monday for a new term. It was not clear Sunday how many remained in custody.

Amnesty International called the arrests and beatings of some Russian protesters “outrageous.”</s>MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained during a weekend protest on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a fourth term, has been released and faces a court hearing next week, his lawyer said Sunday (May 6).

The charismatic 41-year-old politician, who was barred from challenging Putin in March's presidential election, had called on Russians to stage rallies across the country on Saturday under the slogan "Not our Tsar".

Nearly 1,600 protesters were detained in 27 cities across Russia, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks arrests.

Navalny, who was grabbed by police and carried away by his arms and legs shortly after he appeared in Moscow's packed Pushkin Square, was released shortly after midnight, he said.

"It appears they received an order 'do not put him behind bars before the inauguration'," Navalny said on Twitter, referring to the Moscow authorities.

He added that he was accused of organising an unsanctioned rally and resisting police.

Navalny's lawyer Veronika Polyakova told AFP on Sunday that a Moscow court would convene next Friday to hear his case.

The hearing will come after Putin's planned swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

In January, Navalny was also detained over an unauthorised rally and was formally charged then released.

He had faced up to 30 days in jail and said at the time that the authorities wanted to keep him in jail on election day to prevent him from holding rallies -- but a planned court hearing was abruptly cancelled.

The anti-corruption blogger has faced a string of administrative and criminal charges that he and his supporters see as politically motivated since he became the leading opposition figure campaigning against Putin's rule at mass demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.</s>Moscow: Russians angered by the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin to a new term as president protested on Saturday in scores of cities across the country — and police responded by reportedly arresting nearly 1,600 of them.

Among those arrested was protest organiser Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is Putin's most prominent foe. Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from Moscow's Pushkin Square, where thousands were gathered for an unauthorised protest.

Police also used batons against protesters who chanted "Putin is a thief!" and "Russia will be free!"

Demonstrations under the slogan "He is not our czar" took place throughout the country, from Yakutsk in the far northeast to St Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the fringes of Europe.

The protests demonstrated that Navalny's opposition, although considered beleaguered by Russian officials and largely ignored by state-controlled television, has sizeable support in much of the country.

"I think that Putin isn't worthy of leading this country. He has been doing it for 18 years and has done nothing good for it," said Moscow demonstrator Dmitry Nikitenko. "He should leave for good."

OVD-Info, an organization that monitors political repression, said late on Saturday that 1,599 people had been detained at demonstrations in 26 Russian cities. It said 702 were arrested in Moscow alone, and another 232 in St Petersburg.

Moscow police said about 300 people were detained in the capital, state news agencies said, and there was no official countrywide tally.

"Let my son go!" Iraida Nikolaeva screamed, running after police in Moscow when they detained her son. "He did not do anything! Are you a human or not? Do you live in Russia or not?"

Navalny was to be charged with disobeying police, an offense that carries a sentence of up to 15 days, news reports said, though when he would face a judge was not immediately clear. Navalny has served several multi-week stretches in jail on similar charges.

In St Petersburg, police blocked off a stretch of Nevsky Prospekt as a crowd of about 1,000 marched along the renowned avenue. Video showed some demonstrators being detained.

Putin is to be inaugurated for a new six-year term on Monday after winning re-election in March with 77 percent of the vote. Navalny had hoped to challenge him on the ballot but was blocked because of a felony conviction in a case that supporters regard as falsified in order to marginalise him.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert criticised the actions of the Russian police.

"The United States condemns #Russia's detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters and calls for their immediate release. Leaders who are secure in their own legitimacy don't arrest their peaceful opponents for protesting," she tweeted.

Navalny has called nationwide demonstrations several times in the past year, and their turnout has rattled the Kremlin.

Saturday's protests attracted crowds of hundreds in cities that are far remote from Moscow, challenging authorities' contention that Navalny and other opposition figures appeal only to a small, largely urban elite.</s>Russian police detained about 1,600 anti-Vladimir Putin activists as street protests were held two days before the president is sworn in for a fourth term.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was among those held by police after he called for demonstrations in almost 100 cities and towns.

Navalny, 41, appeared at a demonstration in Moscow where he led chants of "down with the tsar".

The Putin foe, who was barred from running in the March election on what he says was a false pretext, has accused the president of an autocratic rule.

Navalny asked his supporters during Saturday's protest: "They said that this city belongs to Putin. Is that right?

"Do you need a tsar?" he asked, eliciting a collective roar of "No".

Putin, 64, was re-elected overwhelmingly, extending his grip over Russia for six more years, amid claims of voter fraud.

When his fourth term ends he will be Moscow's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin - a tenure of 24 years.

Putin, who has been in power, either as president or prime minister, since 2000, is due to be inaugurated on Monday.

He has dismissed Navalny as a troublemaker bent on sowing chaos on behalf of the US.

Navalny was detained soon after showing up on Moscow's Pushkin Square, where young people were chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Putin is a Thief".

Footage showed five policemen hauling him to a waiting van by his arms and legs, a scene that was repeated dozens of times with his supporters.

Another opposition politician, Ilya Yashin, said police planned to charge Navalny with disobeying a police officer.

The penalty for such an offence, if repeated, can be a fine and up to 30 days in jail.

Navalny, who has been detained and jailed numerous times for organising similar protests, said he was proud to have made it to the rally.

OVD-Info, a rights organisation that monitors detentions, said it had received reports of police detaining 1,599 people across Russia, nearly half of them in Moscow.

It cited its sources at the Moscow protest as saying pro-Kremlin Cossacks had beaten protesters with leather whips, sparking a fight.

A police spokesman said around 1,500 people had protested in Moscow, of whom around 300 had been detained, the Interfax news agency reported.

Protests also took place in the Far East, Siberia and St Petersburg, where Interfax cited the police as saying around 200 people had been detained.

Russian authorities regard most of the protests as illegal, arguing that their time and place was not approved beforehand, and that the police have a duty to protect public order.</s>Alexei Navalny, the leader of protests against President Vladimir Putin that resulted in the arrests of more than 1,500 demonstrators across Russia, says he has been released from detention but faces two charges.

Navalny said Sunday on Twitter that he had been released after being arrested on Moscow's Pushkin Square on Saturday. He said he faces charges of organizing an unauthorized meeting and of resisting police. Each of those charges can carry a jail sentence of 15 days.

OND-Info, an organization that monitors Russian political arrests, said at least 1,575 people were arrested in demonstrations in 26 cities across Russia protesting Putin's upcoming inauguration Monday for a new term. It was not clear Sunday how many remained in custody.

Amnesty International called the arrests and beatings of some Russian protesters "outrageous."</s>MOSCOW (AP) — Alexei Navalny, the leader of protests against President Vladimir Putin that resulted in the arrests of more than 1,500 demonstrators across Russia, says he has been released from detention but faces two charges.

Navalny said Sunday on Twitter that he had been released after being arrested on Moscow's Pushkin Square on Saturday. He said he faces charges of organizing an unauthorized meeting and of resisting police. Each of those charges can carry a jail sentence of 15 days.

OND-Info, an organization that monitors Russian political arrests, said at least 1,575 people were arrested in demonstrations in 26 cities across Russia protesting Putin's upcoming inauguration Monday for a new term. It was not clear Sunday how many remained in custody.

Amnesty International called the arrests and beatings of some Russian protesters "outrageous."

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Russian authorities released opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday, a day after he was arrested along with nearly 1,600 protesters across the country.

Police charged Navalny with organizing an unauthorized gathering and disobeying police orders, according to the opposition leader. His lawyer, Veronika Polyakova, said he is due in court on May 11.

Read more: Alexei Navalny: 'There is no pro-Putin majority'

Navalny was arrested on Saturday shortly after arriving at Pushkin Square in Moscow during anti-government demonstrations, leading protesters in chants of "Down with the tsar."

Days before, Navalny called on Russians to take to the streets and oppose a fourth presidential term for Putin, who is to be inaugurated on Monday. Local authorities considered it "provocation and irresponsible behavior," reported state-owned TASS news agency.

"It appears they received an order 'do not put him behind bars before the inauguration,'" Navalny said in a tweet.

The violent crackdown on protesters was criticized internationally, with the EU condemning Russian authorities for "police brutality and mass arrests."

"The detention of over a thousand demonstrators and violence used against them by the Russian authorities across the country threaten the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly in the Russian Federation," the EU said in a statement.

Read more: Who are the allies of Russia's Vladimir Putin in Germany?

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said it was "outrageous" that police and pro-Kremlin supporters would use force against protesters even if gathering had not been previously authorized.

"The authorities should immediately release all peaceful protesters arrested and launch an independent, thorough and effective investigation in the use of force by police, and the attacks on the protesters by the 'Cossacks,'" said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty's deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and around 1,600 anti-Kremlin activists were detained by police today during street protests against Vladimir Putin ahead of his inauguration for a fourth term as president.

Mr Navalny had called on Kremlin critics to take to the streets ahead of Mr Putin's inauguration to register their opposition to what Mr Navalny says is Putin's autocratic Tsar-like rule.

Mr Navalny, who was barred from running in the election on what he says was a false pretext, was detained soon after showing up on Moscow's Pushkin Square.

Before his detention, he briefly addressed supporters in central Moscow, leading them in chants of 'Down with the Tsar!".

Mr Putin won a landslide re-election victory in March, extending his grip over the world's largest country for another six years until 2024, making him the longest-lasting leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin who ruled for nearly 30 years.

Navalny, who has been detained and jailed numerous times for organising similar protests, said he was proud to have made it to the rally.

OVD-Info, a rights organisation that monitors detentions, said it had received reports of police detaining 1,599 people across Russia, nearly half of them in Moscow.

It cited its sources at the Moscow protest as saying pro-Kremlin Cossacks had beaten protesters with leather whips, sparking a fight.

A police spokesman said around 1,500 people had protested in Moscow, of whom around 300 had been detained, the Interfax news agency reported. Reuters reporters estimated the crowd numbered several thousand.

Vladimir Putin was re-elected for a fourth Kremlin term in March

Mr Putin, 65, has been in power, either as president or prime minister, since 2000.

Backed by state TV and the ruling party, and credited with an approval rating of around 80%, Mr Putin is lauded by supporters as a father-of-the-nation figure who has restored national pride and expanded Moscow’s global clout with interventions in Syria and Ukraine.

The authorities regard most of the protests as illegal, arguing that their time and place was not agreed with them beforehand.

Police have broken up similar demonstrations in the past, sometimes harshly, detaining hundreds.

Mr Putin has dismissed the opposition leader, who was barred from running in the presidential election, as a troublemaker bent on sowing chaos on behalf of Washington.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, has called Mr Navalny a political charlatan.

Mr Putin is due to be inaugurated on Monday in a Kremlin ceremony heavy on pomp and circumstance.

With almost 77% of the vote and more than 56 million votes, his March election win was his biggest ever and the largest by any post-Soviet Russian leader, something he and his allies say gave him an unequivocal mandate to govern.

However, European observers said there had been no real choice in the election, and complained of unfair pressure on critical voices.

Critics like Mr Navalny accuse Mr Putin of overseeing a corrupt authoritarian system and of illegally annexing Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014, a move that isolated Russia internationally.</s>Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained during a weekend protest on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fourth term, has been released and faces a court hearing next week, his lawyer said Sunday.

The charismatic 41-year-old politician, who was barred from challenging Putin in March’s presidential election, had called on Russians to stage rallies across the country on Saturday under the slogan “Not our Tsar”.

Nearly 1,600 protesters were detained in 27 cities across Russia, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks arrests.

Navalny, who was grabbed by police and carried away by his arms and legs shortly after he appeared in Moscow’s packed Pushkin Square, was released shortly after midnight, he said.

“It appears they received an order ‘do not put him behind bars before the inauguration’,” Navalny said on Twitter, referring to the Moscow authorities.

He added that he was accused of organising an unsanctioned rally and resisting police.

Navalny’s lawyer Veronika Polyakova told AFP on Sunday that a Moscow court would convene next Friday to hear his case.

The hearing will come after Putin’s planned swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

In January, Navalny was also detained over an unauthorised rally and was formally charged then released.

He had faced up to 30 days in jail and said at the time that the authorities wanted to keep him in jail on election day to prevent him from holding rallies — but a planned court hearing was abruptly cancelled.

The anti-corruption blogger has faced a string of administrative and criminal charges that he and his supporters see as politically motivated since he became the leading opposition figure campaigning against Putin’s rule at mass demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.
Russian police detain about 1,600 anti-government protesters, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny.