Throughout Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s 50^th birthday, supporters and human rights activists in Moscow rallied to his cause. The demonstrations were peaceful but despite this, police heavy-handedly arrested over 40 peaceful protesters.

A video by the website politvestnik.tv showing the peaceful protest, interviewing participants and documenting the actions of the police, was posted to CNN’s ireport and can be seen below

A selection of photos and videos can be seen below