Municipal authorities in Moscow have rejected an application by the liberal Yabloko party to hold a public demonstration to call for the removal of Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov.
The party made the announcement on its website on January 22, saying that instead it will hold rotating one-person pickets outside the Russian presidential administration building beginning at noon on January 26.
"Our picket will demand from Kadyrov an apology and from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, Kadyrov's dismissal," Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin was quoted as saying.
Public demonstrations of more than one person in Russia must be approved in advance by the authorities.
The controversial Chechen leader, who has been widely accused of massive human rights abuses and corruption, made headlines earlier this month when he called all those who oppose Putin "traitors" and "enemies of the people."
Those comments provoked calls for Kadyrov's resignation. In response, authorities in Chechnya on January 22 held a massive rally during which hundreds of thousands of people expressed support for Kadyrov and underscored his attacks on Russian liberals and anti-Putin activists.
