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Russian Opposition Leader Arrested During Election Protest

He's facing up to 30 days in jail.
Posted at 12:26 PM, Jan 28, 2018

Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested Sunday while protesting the upcoming presidential election.

Navalny called for a nationwide protest back in December. It was meant to encourage a subsequent boycott of March's election. But Russian officials say the protests are illegal, and Navalny is facing up to 30 days in jail.

Video posted on Navalny's Twitter account shows police aggressively grabbing him, forcing him to the ground and then shoving him into a police van.

His arrest followed a police raid on his offices the same day.

Navalny initially planned to run against Putin, but Russia's electoral commission barred his campaign citing a prior fraud conviction. But Navalny and the European Union say the charges that led to that conviction were politically motivated.

Putin is seeking his fourth term in office. He's been in power in some form for nearly two decades.