Navalny Calls For Rally After Court Upholds House Arrest

Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny has called on supporters to protest against the government on March 1.

Navalny issued the call on January 27, after a Moscow court rejected his request to throw out a house arrest order he contends is illegal.

On his website, Navalny urged supporters to attend the "Vesna (Spring) Anti-Crisis March, which is being organized by opposition groups.

Navalny said demands would include the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and his government, fair elections on all levels, an end to the war in Ukraine, and the release of all political prisoners.

Navalny was convicted of fraud on December 30, given a 3 1/2 -year suspended sentence, and ordered to remain under house arrest until his appeals are exhausted.

Navalny denies guilt and says he is the target of a Kremlin-driven campaign to punish him for leading opposition protests and spearheading anticorruption investigations into powerful Putin allies.

With reporting by Interfax and AP