More than 60 people arrested after protests in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow courts arrested 61 people following unauthorized demonstrations last weekend, Moscow City Court spokeswoman Ulyana Solopova said Tuesday.

"So far, 278 administrative records have been registered in the courts. For 61 of them, the court issued a decision on the imposition of punishment in the form of administrative arrest," Solopova told reporters in Moscow.

An administrative fine was imposed on 161 individuals and the rest of the cases are under consideration, she added.

The protesters marched Sunday to the mayor’s office to support opposition candidates who were unable to enter the upcoming local parliamentary elections in September.

Opposition politicians called on supporters to take to the streets after the authorities refused their demonstration request.

Police warned demonstrators of the illegality of the protest, followed by a massive crackdown.

Official data shows around 600 out of 1,074 detainees participated in the demonstrations but a website that monitors police detentions claims nearly 1,400 people in total were detained.