Moscow police have detained at least four more people for placing flowers in memory of slain opposition leader Alexey Navalny at various memorials, human rights association OVD-Info said on Tuesday.
Police came to the home of Moscow resident Polina Orekhova on Tuesday morning, OVD-Info said, taking her to a police station and charging her with violating the law on demonstrating for having allegedly laid flowers at the Wall of Grief monument on 17 February. She can now be held for up to 48 hours.
Two plain-clothes policemen also detained Moscow resident Yegor Komlev as he was leaving his home on Tuesday, and took him to a police station where they confiscated his passport. OVD-Info said he too had laid flowers at the Wall of Grief on 16 and 17 February and attended Navalny’s funeral on 1 March. Police said that they had identified him using surveillance footage.
Anti-extremism officers also detained Moscow resident Yelena Gribkova Tuesday. OVD-Info said she had been detained while laying flowers on 17 February, taken to a police station and released with a warning. She also attended Navalny’s funeral on 1 March.
A fourth person, Yelena Levina, was detained in Moscow on Tuesday, she told OVD-Info. Levina said she had previously received a warning for laying flowers at the Wall of Sorrow.
Moscow police detained a number of people at rallies being held in memory of Navalny on 27 February. Many were given repeat warnings by the police and some were ordered to spend 15 days under administrative arrest and were placed in custody.
