Russian riot police used excessive force against hundreds of demonstrators during anti-corruption protests on June 12, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday.
The human rights group interviewed 13 protesters and described conditions under which they were detained and held during Russia Day demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg as “abusive.”
According to HRW, riot police used “excessive force against protesters.”
“If protesters questioned their detentions or refused to go willingly, the police handled them roughly and in some cases dragged them on the ground, beat them with truncheons, kicked them with booted feet, and punched them,” the HRW brief said.