Thousands march in Russian city of Khabarovsk in support of detained governor

18:40, 18.07.2020

At least 10,000 people marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, demanding the release of a popular regional governor detained last week on suspicion of murder, in a second week of protests.

Sergei Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the governor of the Khabarovsk region where he swept to power in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Vladimir Putin.

Furgal was taken to Moscow last week, where he is now in pre-trial detention after being charged with involvement in organising the murder of multiple businessmen 15 years ago.

He could face up to life in prison if found guilty of the charges, which also include involvement in attempted murder. He denies the charges, as reported by Reuters.

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Khabarovsk

Sergei Furgal