At least 10,000 people are said to have taken to the streets of the Russian city Khabarovsk on Saturday, demanding the release of a popular regional governor, who was detained on suspicion of murder last week.
Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal, was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow, where he remains in pre-trial detention.
Russia‘s Investigative Committee says he is suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005.
At least 10,000 demonstrators have marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk (above) on Saturday afternoon, during a second week of anti-Putin protests
Protesters are demanding the release of popular Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow, where he is in pre-trial detention
Some protesters called for a fair and open trial for the regional governor, who is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party
Furgal swept to power in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Vladimir Putin
Mr Furgal has denied the charges, which relate to his time as a businessman with interests ranging from imports of consumer goods to timber and metals.
Furgal, who is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, swept to power in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Vladimir Putin.
He could face up to life in prison if he is found guilty of the charges, which also include involvement in attempted murder.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed into Khabarovsk on Saturday afternoon, carrying posters supporting Furgal in the second week of the protests.
Many Khabarovsk residents have dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected.
Some placards demanded the release of the governor, while others called for an open and transparent trial.
Russia’s Investigative Committee says he Furgal is suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005, charges which he denies
Demonstrators came out in mass to ‘defend their voting rights’, following simmering discontent over the Kremlin’s policies
The protests are now in their second week, as hundreds of demonstrators have flocked to the city centre every single day this week
Many Khabarovsk residents have dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected
Local media estimated the rally in the city drew crowds of 15,000 to 50,000 people.
Svetlana, a middle-aged woman who was wearing a face mask, said residents were not put off by the accusations against Furgal.
She said that many Russian politicians have a dark past, as the final years of the Soviet Union were riddled with corruption and crime.
She added: ‘People came out here to defend their voting rights: We elected him, so return him to us.’
Hundreds have rallied in the city centre every single day this week, protesting against the arrest of Furgal.
Mikhail Yerashchenko, one of the protesters, said on Saturday: ‘It’s not only about this (whether Furgal arrest is legal or not). People are fed up with the way we are treated, that they (authorities) can simply take away our choice.’
Furgal’s victory in 2018 was unexpected as he did not actively campaign and toed the Kremlin’s line, publicly supporting his rival.
Saturday’s protests come three weeks after a landslide referendum victory for the Kremlin on amendments to the constitution, allowing Putin to remain in power for another 16 years
Dozens were arrested in Moscow last week after hundreds of people protested against the new amendments. Pictured, people hold a placard reading ‘I Am/We Are Sergei Furgal’ in Khabarovsk protests on July 18
During his two years in office, Furgal earned a reputation as ‘the people’s governor’, after cutting his own salary and meeting protesters when rallies took place
Last Saturday, between 10,000 and 12,000 people took past in an unsanctioned march last Saturday in Khabarovsk, according to the local branch of the interior ministry. Pictured, people hold up signs in support of Furgal during protests on July 18
Moscow is still to appointed an acting governor to replace Mr Furgal, now 11 days after his arrest
But during his two years in office, Furgal earned a reputation as ‘the people’s governor’.
He cut his own salary and ordered the sale of an expensive yacht that the previous administration had bought.
Furgal even met protesters when rallies took place and significantly reduced flight fares for residents in remote areas.
The protests come three weeks after a landslide referendum victory for the Kremlin on amendments to the constitution, allowing Putin to remain in power for another 16 years.
Dozens were arrested in Moscow last week after hundreds of people protested against the new amendments.
Between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part in an unsanctioned march last Saturday in Khabarovsk, according to the local branch of the interior ministry.
The protests, unauthorised by authorities, are the largest ever to have taken place in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000 people
Local media estimated the rally in the city drew crowds of 15,000 to 50,000 people, while the mayor’s office claimed that less than 10,000 attended
In a statement, the mayor’s office said that the protest was was peaceful and no detentions were made
The protests, unauthorised by authorities, are the largest ever to have taken place in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000.
In a statement, the mayor’s office said that fewer than 10,000 people marched in the latest protest on Saturday.
But some local news outlets have estimated that the number attending the demonstrations was significantly higher.
The mayor’s office also added that the protest on July 18 was peaceful and no detentions were made.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation ‘not standard’ this week.
Khabarovsk, which borders China, is a seven-hour flight east of Russian capital.
Moscow is still to appointed an acting governor, now 11 days after Furgal’s arrest.