One anti-war critic fined, another held as Russia clamps down on opponents
Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on political opposition by detaining a blogger and barring a pro-peace politician from parliamentary participation. These actions continue a trend of suppressing dissent within the country.
Why it matters
The systematic removal of opposition voices highlights the shrinking space for political pluralism in Russia under the current administration.
Image source, Alexander NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Nadezhdin briefly needed medical treatment when he appeared in court on Friday
Russian authorities have continued to clamp down on what little domestic opposition remains in the country by detaining a well-known blogger and moving to prevent a local politician from running for parliament.
Blogger Ilya Remeslo was a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin until he staged a dramatic about-turn last March, calling the president a "war criminal and thief" and saying he should resign.
He has now been remanded in custody for two months on suspicion of spreading false information against the military.
Separately, Boris Nadezhdin has been convicted of "displaying extremist symbols", a ruling that bars him from collecting signatures for parliamentary elections in September.
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