1968 Again: Demonstration against Russian military invasion to Georgia in Red Square disbanded (Photo, video)

25.08.2008, 11:44

On Sunday 7 oppositional activists staged a rally on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, protesting against Russian invasion to the territory of Georgia.

The action called “Birthday of Freedom” was also dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the famous protest of 7 Soviet dissenters against the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union.

Participants of the protest rally, Yuliya Bashynova, Valentina Chubarova, Veniamin Dmitroshkin, Nikolay Zboroshenko, Sergei Konstantinov, Ivan Ninenko and Denis Shadrin, sat on the square and unfurled a banner “For our freedom and yours!” For a few minutes they were chanting slogans and talked to journalists. Then policemen came near them and started to arrest them without explaining reasons.

Among the detained there are three participants of the protest, Veniamin Dmitroshkin, Nikolay Zboroshenko and Ivan Ninenko, as well as four journalists covering the event. Among the detained journalists are a correspondent of “Novaya Gazeta” Elena Kostyuchenko, “Vedomosti” correspondent Ivan Rusaev, as well as cameramen of Dmitry Borko (Grani-TV) and Dmitry Shibaev (The New Times). Policemen broke the photo camera of Elena Kostyuchenko during detention, Grani.ru informs.

All the detained were taken to the police department “Kitaj-gorod”. In about an hour after detention journalists were released. Policemen forced them to delete photo and video footage of the protest rally. The detained activists are still kept in the police department and a charged under article 20.2 of the Administrative Code (violation of the established order of organizing or holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, march or picket).