Police in the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk have detained at least 19 people who were participating in a demonstration in support of the region’s jailed former governor, activists say.
The OVD-Info group, which monitors police activity, said on December 26 that the protesters were detained during a small demonstration against the July arrest of former Governor Sergei Furgal on charges connected with several murders from more than a decade ago.
Several dozen protesters braved temperatures far below freezing to gather in front of the regional government office in Khabarovsk and then march through the center of the city.
It was the 169th day of protests since Furgal’s arrest and his transfer to Moscow.
Furgal denies the allegations against him, and he and his supporters say he is being persecuted because he soundly defeated the incumbent from the ruling United Russian party in the region’s 2018 gubernatorial election.