‘We were just walking home’

How Moscow police violently arrested hundreds of protesters and bystanders on August 3

Warning: The video above contains violent imagery that could upset sensitive viewers.

On August 3, demonstrators in Moscow protested for the fourth straight weekend, protesting against election officials' refusal to register dozens of independent candidates for the September City Duma race. For the second consecutive Saturday, the mayor's office refused to issue a permit for the rally, during which demonstrators marched along Boulevard Ring in the city’s downtown. Police officers estimated that 1,500 people attended the march, 600 of whom were arrested, though arrest documents indicate that turnout was as high as 10,000 people. The human rights organization OVD-Info reported that precise data on the number of individuals arrested during the protest would only become available on the morning of August 4, but it is already clear that at least 700 people are currently in police detention, following the event. Among those arrested were opposition activist and candidate Lyubov Sobol, the husband of a member of Russia’s ruling party, a man riding by on his bicycle, a group of foreigners, and hundreds of others.