A Russian court in Moscow on Saturday placed outspoken leftist opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov under house arrest in connection with criminal charges that he orchestrated anti-government riots last year.
The ruling marks the first time since the rise of the opposition movement in December 2011 following disputed State Duma elections that a prominent anti-Kremlin figure has faced such a restriction.
Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front, had been under travel restrictions since October but had repeatedly violated them, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said Friday.
His violations forced investigators to ask the court to limit his freedom further, Markin said.
Under the new restrictions, Udaltsov will be prevented until April 6 from leaving his Moscow apartment without permission, and from communicating with anyone except his family, lawyers, investigators or prison officials by any means, the Basmanny District Court ruled.
On Friday, Udaltsov denied that he had violated the travel restrictions imposed on him in October, saying authorities were seeking to limit his public activism.
Political analyst Pavel Salin said Udaltsov was likely correct.
“[Udaltsov is] one of the few people who can lead a crowd,” Salin said, while “objective reasons for [public] discontent are growing.”
“The authorities understand perfectly that [discontent] can flare up anywhere,” Salin said.
Before the decision was announced Saturday, Udaltsov told journalists and supporters outside the court building that he thought the authorities were seeking to put him under house arrest because the protest movement had subsided and they were not afraid of a backlash from the opposition.
The Moscow Times
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