Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny detained

Moscow May 5 (IANS) Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was detained by police at a demonstration against President Vladimir Putin here on Saturday.

Thousands of demonstrators denouncing Putin s inauguration into a fourth term gathered in the capital s Pushkin Square. Navalny was taken into custody by police shortly after arriving at the rally where riot police carted away some protesters while some were beaten by pro-Putin supporters Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Videos showed police carrying a struggling Navalny out of the square by the legs and arms.

According to a Guardian report the unauthorised protest was part of nationwide demonstrations taking place under the slogan: "He is not our tsar."

Navalny has called for nationwide rallies to protest against Putin s inauguration on May 7.

At least 150 people were arrested in Krasnoyarsk in eastern Siberia and a further 75 in Yakutsk the capital of a diamond-mining region in northeast Russia.

The arrests came after police detained a number of Navalny s supporters across Russia on the eve of the protests.

With the fourth term as the Russian President Putin extends his 18-year reign that his supporters say lifted the country "from its knees" and is denounced by his opponents as a "corrupt calcifying autocracy".

Navalny who has organized large street protests and published a series of reports alleging corruption in Russia s ruling elite was barred from the presidential ballot in March due to a conviction on financial-crimes charges that he called "fabricated".

--IANS
soni/vm