Russian court arrests head of Navalny's HQ in Khabarovsk for disobeying police

The coordinator of opposition figure Alexei Navalny's office in the Russian far-eastern city of Khabarovsk, Alexey Vorsin, has been placed under administrative arrest for 11 days for resisting police officers, the city's central district court told Sputnik on Tuesday.

According to the court, during protests in support of the former Governor Sergey Furgal last month, the police attempted to detain a journalist from the RusNews online outlet for an unspecified reason, but the journalist escaped in Vorsin's car.

"The court has placed Vorsin under an administrative arrest for 11 days under the Article 19.3, Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (a refusal to obey lawful demands of a police officer). This is a penalty for the events of December 26, 2020," the court said.

The activist was detained last Saturday ahead of an unauthorized pro-Navalny protest in Khabarovsk and fined on Monday.

Furgal, a 50-year-old businessman-turned-politician from the opposition Liberal-Democratic Party (LDPR), was detained on July 9 for an alleged role in a string of killings in the 2000s. He is in custody in a Moscow prison and denies the charges. Rallies in support of Furgal, who is popular with the locals, have been held in Khabarovsk Territory since July 11.

On Saturday, multiple unauthorized protests took place in various regions of Russia, instigated by supporters of opposition figure Alexey Navalny. Both the Russian Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office warned that those participating in such events would be held liable to prosecution. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )