Police detain demonstrators after a rally marking the 33rd anniversary of the events in memory of those who were killed during the 1993 bloody clashes between government forces and supporters of the rebellious parliament
Police in Moscow detained around 60 people at a rally organised by Russia’s Kremlin-friendly Communist Party on Sunday, the party said, as protesters called for political freedoms and fair elections. The rally was held to mark the anniversary of the Kremlin’s 1993 crackdown on a parliamentary uprising. The 1993 crisis followed a prolonged confrontation between then-President Boris Yeltsin and hard-line lawmakers opposed to his free-market reforms. Authorities put the death toll at 123, while unofficial estimates said several hundred people were killed. it has avoided direct criticism of Putin and has consistently backed Russia’s war in Ukraine Although the party has criticised some government policies during President Vladimir Putin’s more than 25 years in power.
The detentions took place as the rally was ending, according to a statement from the party. Its Moscow branch said it was working to secure the release of those detained, most of whom were young people. Protesters chanted slogans including “Freedom for political prisoners”, “For fair elections” and “Down with the Tsar”., as quoted by AP, according to the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti.
Yeltsin ordered parliament dissolved, after which supporters of the lawmakers attempted to seize the state television broadcasting centre. Yeltsin then deployed the military, which shelled the parliament building with tanks.