Moscow (AFP)
The main opposition to the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, was released from prison on Friday after 30 days in prison for appeals to protest in a major protest movement that is shaking Moscow, his spokesman said.
Mr. Navalny came out of prison smiling, wearing a dark sweater and sports pants and a bag on his shoulders, according to two photographs posted on Twitter by his spokesman, Kira Iarmych.
The opponent and anti-corruption blogger immediately denounced to journalists the "acts of terror intended to frighten" led by the Russian authorities in their suppression of the protest movement in Moscow in recent weeks.
"The movement will continue to grow and this regime will strongly regret what it has done," Navalny said.
If police and a van were present during the release of Alexei Navalny on Friday, the latter did not stop him again when he left, as was the case for other opponents recently released.
Alexei Navalny was arrested on July 24 in Moscow while going out for a jog and buying flowers for his wife's birthday, in full rise of protest due to the rejection of opposition candidates for local elections scheduled for September 8th.
He was then sentenced to 30 days in prison for "repeated violations of the rules of organization of the demonstrations". During his detention, Navalny was briefly treated at the hospital for what the doctors described as a "severe allergic reaction", while the opponent did not rule out being "poisoned".
Several unauthorized demonstrations to demand free elections in Moscow have resulted in thousands of arrests in recent weeks. This is the biggest protest movement since Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.
Most Muscovite opponents are currently serving short prison sentences, while Mr Navalny's organization, the Anti-Corruption Fund, is under investigation for "money laundering".
© 2019 AFP