Defying new law on rallies, thousands march in Moscow | WPN World People News

Thousands of Russian anti-government protesters took part in a major rally in Moscow to demand fresh elections and a new president, in defiance of a new law increasing fines for those who hold unsanctioned protests.

The protest, on a national holiday, is the first since President Vladimir Putin's return to office for a third term last month.

Opposition leaders estimated the number of protesters at 120,000, while police said that about 20,000 people showed up for the march along a Moscow boulevard toward Sakharov Avenue.

Tuesday's protest was timed to coincide with Russia Day, when Russian lawmakers on June 12, 1990, decided that Russian laws should take precedence over those of the Soviet Union.

Angered by the crackdown on rights activists, Russians likened it to the repression of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, posting Twitter messages mentioning 1937, the year of his greatest repression.

Among the prominent activists targeted by police on Monday included Alexei Navalny, Sergei Udaltsov and Ilya Yashin.

The fines under the new law are quite hefty: about $10,000 (6,440 pounds) for anyone participating in an unsanctioned rally, or up to $10,000 for anyone who damages property during a sanctioned rally.

The demonstrators chanted "Putin is a thief" and "Russia without Putin".

"It's obvious they are as frightened of us as they are of fire," opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally. "They are scared of the people's protest," BBC quoted him as saying.

Putin served two terms as president from 2000 to 2008 before becoming prime minister due to constitutional limits on consecutive presidential terms. A constitutional amendment later extended the term of a Russian president to two consecutive six-year periods, meaning Putin could stay in power until 2024.

Source: Russia News.Net