Dozens of college students at Russia’s elite Higher School of Economics have been staging each day protests outside the Moscow headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs after certainly one of their colleagues was arrested and charged with participating in ‘civil unrest.’ Yegor Zhukov – who is additionally a famous blogger on social and political issues, with one hundred,000 followers – turned into arrested at an unsanctioned pro-democracy protest in Moscow on 27 July. Unlike most of the greater than 2,000 humans arrested at recent weekend protests, Zhukov (21) changed into no longer launched without rate. Instead, authorities charged him with ‘partaking in civil unrest’ – a fee that contains a prison sentence of between three and 6 years.
Remanded in custody for 2 months, Zhukov could be unable to return to university to renew his studies whilst the new term begins next month. His arrest has galvanized commonly notably apolitical college students at the famend university, which seems surprisingly qualified financial professionals who’re aware of being snapped up via Russia’s top companies. Now, dozens of college students are taking element in character pickets – the only form of protest permitted in Russia without unique consent of the authorities – outdoor the Ministry of Internal Affairs, worrying that Zhukov is freed.
On Saturday, 10 August, Zhukov’s name changed into prominent on placards and T-shirts at an approved rally that drew extra than 40,000 people inside the center of Moscow, regardless of wind and rain. The protests have been sparked the remaining month after town election authorities refused to sign in 15 competition applicants for citywide neighborhood elections due on 8 September. Authorities stated none had managed to accumulate enough signatures and that many had been falsified. The cynical move – demonstrably untrue in all cases – gave renewed power to Russia’s competition, sparking weekly protests.
All, however, one of the opposition candidates is now in the back of bars. They had been charged with diverse offenses below Russia’s catch-all protest laws. In a separate but related incident, a hazard through the rector of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Alexander Bezborodov, to expel students who are a part of the protests has provoked campus demonstrations disturbing that he retract the threat. In Zhukov’s case, fellow college students have mobilized to accumulate almost 600 letters worrying that he be freed, and feature raised US$42,000 for his criminal defense.
