国际英语新闻:300 people attend illegal rally in Moscow led by Russian opposition deputy: police

MOSCOW, Dec 24 (Xinhua) -- About 300 people attended an unauthorized rally here organized by the opposition deputy Ilya Yashin on Sunday, the Moscow City Police said.

The public meeting held on December 24, 2017, in the Lermontovsky Square was declared illegal by court, police said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Yashin announced his application to Moscow authorities of the so-called "Free Elections Day" rally, which was later rejected by the Moscow City Court for the expiration of the notification date and the absence of required documents.

Almost half of the participants of the rally were media representatives and bloggers, the statement said.

The police said in a separate statement that it had repeatedly urged the citizens not to participate in the event, which was offered an alternative platform, and that it would take all necessary measures to prevent the action.

Yashin is one of the key leaders of the People's Freedom Party, a Russian liberal democratic political party, and also a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council established in 2012.