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Thousands of people gathered this Saturday in the center of Jabarovsk, one of the main cities in Russia's Far East, to demand the release of their governor, Sergei Furgal , who was arrested this week accused of organizing the murders of two businessmen. in 2004 and 2005. Furgal was one of the few opposition governors to be elected in the last 2018 regional elections.

According to local press, the demonstration has been the largest public protest in the region's history . Although governors in Russia often enjoy modest popular support, and on many occasions their tenure in office depends on their attunement to the Kremlin, this time the local residents have turned in favor of their regional leader. According to the state agency TASS, a large demonstration swept through the city of Jabarovsk with slogans such as "Give us Furgal back" or "Furgal home . " There were also tougher slogans like "Putin, thief!".

Governor arrests not something new in Russia. Since 2015, four acting regional chiefs have been locked up and under criminal investigation , but none of these cases has provoked such a negative reaction among voters as Furgal's arrest. And all this despite the fact that the charges against him are especially serious.

Furgal was a member of the Russian Parliament for years and is a leading member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). His name was the surprise of the month when the candidate of the ruling United Russia party was imposed at the polls. Last year, amid the wave of protests across the country, the LDPR party made further progress and won a series of elections in the legislative assembly and municipal councils in the region. Not a single candidate from United Russia won a seat in the Jabarovsk City Duma.

In the Jabarovsk territory, the figures were not very good for the Kremlin either, regarding participation in the plebiscite on July 1 to extend the mandate of Vladimir Putin. It was one of the worst in Russia (44% against a national average of 64%), but after all the constitutional amendments were approved in the region with 62%.

Furgal had a political career ahead of him. But his star faded when he was arrested Thursday morning near his home as he was getting ready to go to work. He is currently detained in Moscow, where he was questioned and formally charged. He is scheduled to remain in preventive detention for a period of two months.

PEACEFUL PROTESTS BUT WITHOUT PERMISSION

LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovski , who called the legal actions against his party partner a political persecution, had threatened fierce mass protests in his defense. In spite of everything, the demonstration of support for the governor has been carried out in a peaceful way. The police did not intervene, despite the fact that the act did not have the authorization of the city council.

The Jabarovsky Krai Segodnya news agency reported that the number of protesters possibly exceeded the crowd size of the traditional 'Immortal Regiment' march in the city, in which up to 60,000 people gather to honor family members who died in World War II. According to the Kommersant newspaper, between 30,000 and 35,000 people took part . For its part, the interior ministry of the region stated that no more than 12,000 participated.

"Dear inhabitants of the Jabarovsk region, thank you for your support. This unanimity has never been seen by the Jabarovsk region, nor the Far East, nor Russia. We are sure they will be heard ," the regional government said in a statement, in which he called for calm and to not allow disorders.

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