Strasbourg, 08.12.2011 – The co-rapporteurs for Russia of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Andi Gross (Switzerland, SOC) and György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD), today expressed their concern at the events which followed the announcement of the result of the parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation.

“The right to peacefully demonstrate is one of the basic rights of people in any democratic state, and is part of freedom of expression and assembly. There is no justification for the arrest and detention of hundreds of people just because they have gathered to protest calmly. On the contrary, they have the same right to police protection as those who express their support for the winning party.”

Since the announcement of the preliminary results of the elections on Sunday evening, over 500 peaceful demonstrators and bystanders have reportedly been arrested by police in cities across Russia amid protests against alleged manipulation of votes. Among those arrested are some leading opposition figures and NGO activists.

The rapporteurs called on the Russian authorities to ensure that all those detained are immediately released and that no further arrests take place.

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