On August 31 international movement Speak Up held a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in London in support of Russia’s political prisoners.

The protestors held banners displaying photographs of former Yukos lawyer Vasily Alexanyan and former Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergey Magnitsky who were both tortured and died in Russian detention centres and murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, known for her often critical investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs amongst others. The banner stated “Killed by Putin’s Regime”.

Banners with images of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev stated “10 Years of Injustice” highlighting the approaching anniversary of their decade of imprisonment and demanding immediate freedom for all political prisoners in Russia.

According to Speak Up’s Facebook page the day marked the 3-year anniversary of the UK’s Russian-speaking community coming out in defence of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.