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Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny arrested after organizing fair election protests

He called for protests to continue despite his arrest.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (C) attends a mass march marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on February 27, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. CREDIT: Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (C) attends a mass march marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on February 27, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. CREDIT: Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday in Moscow after calling for protests around the country, which raged on around Russia.

Russian police raided Navalny’s Moscow office Sunday morning, according to the Associated Press. The police claimed it was because of a bomb threat, though they detained the man who works at Navalny’s Moscow coordinator when they raided the office.

Later, Navalny tweeted that he himself had been detained, reportedly while walking to join the Moscow protest. A dramatic video posted to Twitter shows police detaining Navalny and forcing him into a police vehicle.

Despite his arrest, Navalny called for the protests to continue.

“They have detained me,” he wrote on Twitter. “This doesn’t mean anything … you didn’t come out for me, but for your future.”

And the protests have continued Sunday. Many marchers reportedly took to chanting, “Putin is a thief.”

Moscow Police said Navalny was taken to a police station for arraignment and to be charged for illegally organizing a protest, according to CNN. If found guilty, he faces 30 days in detention and a fine.

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Sizable gatherings, from a few dozen to several hundred, reportedly cropped up around Russia after Navalny called for protests.

There was even a protest in the remote Yakutsk, where the temperature was reportedly minus-49 F. Protesters in Yakutsk and around the country were calling for a boycott of the upcoming election. Putin is running for a fourth term, and Navalny — the long-prominent face of opposition to Putin — has been blocked from running.

In a Facebook post, Navalny thanked everyone who had taken to the streets Sunday.

“I am proud of all those who joined us today in any capacity: from Magadan to Sochi. From the FBK office to the headquarters in Kemerovo. From Krasnodar to Yakutsk, where the meeting took place at -40. These are real citizens,” Navalny wrote, according to CNN. “Be real citizens. Go out to the demo in your city.”
This isn’t the first time in recent months Navalny has been arrested while protesting. In June of last year, he was arrested on Russia Day along with hundreds of others who took to the street for anti-corruption protests.