At six in the morning on January 31, taxi driver and activist Vyacheslav Yegorov was awoken by a knock from masked federal security service agents with assault rifles.
As his wife and three children watched nervously, they searched the family’s flat in Kolomna, then detained Mr Yegorov for holding unsanctioned protests against the dumping of rubbish from Moscow, 60 miles to the northwest. He faces up to five years in prison and has been declared a political prisoner by the human rights group Memorial.
At the same time, agents were searching the homes of 14 other activists in what appeared to be an intimidation tactic days before protests were held in 44 cities against plans to export Moscow waste…
To continue reading this article
Start a 30-day free trial for unlimited access to Premium articles
- Unlimited access to Premium articles
- Subscriber-only events and experiences
- Cancel any time
Free for 30 days
then only £2 per week
Try Premium
Save 25% with an annual subscription
Just £75 per year
Save now
Register for free and access one Premium article per week
Register
Only subscribers have unlimited access to Premium articles.Register for free to continue reading this article
RegisterOr unlock all Premium articles.
Free for 30 days, then just £1 per week
Start trial
Save 40% when you pay annually.
View all subscription options |
Already have an account? Login