Reporters among those arrested during unsanctioned rally in Moscow
MOSCOW. Aug 3 (Interfax) - Media representatives were among those apprehended during an unsanctioned rally in support of unregistered candidates for Moscow City Duma on Saturday; they are now being released.
Arkady Dubnov, a journalist and political analyst, reported his arrest live from a police van. Later, the Dozhd television channel reported the arrest in Pushkinskaya Square of its correspondent Vladimir Romensky and its journalists spoke to him live on air. Romensky was detained despite producing his press ID, police attention was drawn to his coordinating the filming at the time, Dozhd said.
Dmitry Simakov, deputy editor-in-chief of the Vedomosti newspaper, said that the publication's correspondent Yelena Vavina had been held in Pushkinskaya Square. "She had all documents on her and the editorial assignment, which a policeman called a document of an unestablished template," Simakov told Interfax. He noted that he had spoken to Vavina by phone, she said that there were also several minors in the same van.
This was confirmed by OVD-Info, a human rights website, which said that there were about 20 minors among those arrested.
NIkita Pavlyuk-Pavlyuchenko, a journalist for the Snob publication, was arrested and released only after having repeatedly shown his documents.
Police have closed the part of Petrovka Street opposite the Hermitage Garden, Interfax correspondents reported. Here, opposite the building of the Moscow police headquarters, protestors have gathered as well, jamming the traffic in the direction of the city center. Police are pushing the assembled away from number 38 Petrovka Street. The most active of them are being apprehended.
Protests caused another traffic jam in Petrovsky Boulevard in the direction of Pushkinskaya Square.
A total of 194 people had been arrested by 3:35 p.m., OVD-Info said.