7 Dec 2011

More arrests in Moscow

6:32 pm on 7 December 2011

Anti-government protesters took to the streets of Moscow again on Tuesday night. At least 250 were arrested.

The ABC reports that among those detained was opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Two opposition figures, blogger Alexei Navalny and Ilya Yashin, were jailed for 15 days for their role in an opposition protest on Monday, which was the biggest in Moscow for years.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won the election on Sunday with just under 50% of the vote.

But many protesters and observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe claim that the election was slanted in favour of United Russia.

Trucks of troops were seen heading for the city centre as the interior ministry said it aimed to ensure the security of the citizens.

Interfax reported that 51,500 police have been on a state of alert since 1 December.