02 JANUARY 2010 WHAT WILL BE REMEBERED NEW YEAR of 2010 IN RUSSIAN HISTORY?

A regular opposition protest "March of Dissent” was held in central Moscow’s Triumphalnaya  square on 31 December, 2009 several hours before New Year .
Activists coalition of Other Russia, Solidarity and other civil movements were trying to speak at the rally in front of a monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky .
About 500 activists attended at the rally, more than 50 people were detained.
Rallies for defense of Article 31 of Russian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of peaceful assembly, are held every 31-th of the month at 18:00 on Triumphalnaya Square in Moscow.
Among those who were detained one of the organizers of the rally, a chairman of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseyeva was. 82-year-old human rights activist was detained at the beginning of the event.
According to Radio Liberty, “Lyudmila Alekseyeva said that she was in costume Snow Maiden as promised earlier”.
During the arrest police officers pulled her out from the crowd almost knocking, but the people around helped Lyudmila Alekseeva to stay on her feet. After being detained by phone Alexeyeva said: "I did not understand the motive of the detention. I did not say a word on the square”.
Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights considers that the illegal detention of Lyudmila Alekseeva and other civil activists is Russian authorities' failure of act as a guarantor of constitutional rights.
Association’s activists believe that the cruel pressure against civilian and opposition activists demonstrates the instability of the current Russian political system.
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