Lev Ponomarev, Russian human rights defender jailed for 3 days

The Presnensky Court in Moscow has placed the Head of “For Human Rights”, Lev Ponomarev, who is 68 years old, under administrative arrest for 3 days for failing to obey police officers.

Ponomarev was detained on 22 August after he and other opposition activists tried to proceed along New Arbat holding a Russian flag to mark State Flag Day.  The police decided that this was an unauthorized procession.

Interfax reports that after the court hearing which lasted 8 hours, Mr Ponomarev who is not a young man was taken ill, and an ambulance needed to be called.  His lawyer is planning to appeal the ruling.

A hearing on analogous charges against the head of the Moscow branch of the “Solidarity” Movement, Mikhail Shneider, has been adjourned until Thursday, while those against the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov were sent back for further investigation.