Protesters Hold Seventh anti-Kremlin March over Detained Governor

People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 22, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenii Pereverzev
People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 22, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenii Pereverzev
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Protesters Hold Seventh anti-Kremlin March over Detained Governor

People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 22, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenii Pereverzev
People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 22, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenii Pereverzev

Around 1,500 people marched through the streets of the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive weekend of protests after the region’s governor was detained in early July.

Residents of Khabarovsk, 6,110 km (3,800 miles) east of Moscow, have protested since the detention of Sergei Furgal, the region’s popular governor, on July 9 in connection with murder charges which he denies.

His supporters say the detention is politically motivated.

People marched on Saturday with posters reading “Freedom to Furgal” and “Belarus - Khabarovsk is with you” - a sign of support for opposition rallies in Belarus protesting against the alleged rigging of its presidential election.

On Saturday, posters wishing recovery for Alexei Navalny, a Kremlin critic who collapsed on a plane on Thursday after drinking tea that his allies believe was laced with poison, were also seen among the people marching in Khabarovsk.

Navalny was evacuated from the Siberian city of Omsk and brought to Germany for medical treatment on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Regional authorities estimated around 1,500 people took part in Saturday’s march, a smaller turnout than in previous weeks.



Turkish Court Delays Hearing that Could Oust Main Opposition Leader

Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech during the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Congress at the City Cube in Berlin, Germany, 28 June 2025.  EPA/FILIP SINGER
Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech during the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Congress at the City Cube in Berlin, Germany, 28 June 2025. EPA/FILIP SINGER
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Turkish Court Delays Hearing that Could Oust Main Opposition Leader

Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech during the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Congress at the City Cube in Berlin, Germany, 28 June 2025.  EPA/FILIP SINGER
Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech during the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Congress at the City Cube in Berlin, Germany, 28 June 2025. EPA/FILIP SINGER

A Turkish court on Monday delayed until September a hearing on a case that could oust the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, by potentially annulling the 2023 congress at which he was elected.

An initial hearing had been set for Monday. The next hearing will be on September 8.

Stripping Ozel of his chairmanship would mark the latest judicial blow to opponents of President Tayyip Erdogan. He is a potential challenger in future elections after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - the party's elected presidential candidate - was jailed in March.

The lawsuit, filed by a CHP member, seeks to overturn results of the party's 38th Ordinary Congress in November 2023 over procedural irregularities. At that congress, Ozel had replaced Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to Erdogan in presidential elections earlier that year.