MOSCOW -- The head of the Russian opposition party Yabloko's branch in Moscow, Sergei Mitrokhin, has been detained while protesting the government's plan to increase the pension age.
An RFE/RL correspondent saw police detain Mitrokhin as he protested alone in front of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, on June 19.
Police took him to a nearby precinct house.
On June 16, the government submitted a bill to the Duma that proposes to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 by 2028 for men and from 55 to 63 for women by 2034. The increases would be gradual and begin in 2019.
The changes would shorten the retirement period for many people in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin would have final say on the pension reform plan, which must be adopted by parliament before it goes to the president for signature or veto.
More than 1.5 million people had signed a petition against the reform on the Change.org website by June 19.