Russian police raid forum for local opposition politicians and arrest everyone there

Moscow — America's top diplomat has criticized Russia for the mass-arrest of almost 200 opposition politicians and activists over the weekend. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for "an end to the persecution of independent voices" in Russia following a police raid on a political forum in Moscow during which scores of people were detained.

Police rounded up the politicians, municipal deputies and journalists at a conference on municipal governance in Moscow on Saturday as authorities continue to tighten the screws on Kremlin critics ahead of parliamentary elections in September. "Today, the Russian government detained almost 200 municipal leaders and politicians, including political activists Vladimir Kara-Murza and Yuliya Galyamina, on dubious grounds," Blinken said on Twitter, referring to prominent Russian opposition figures swept up in the raid. "We call for an end to the persecution of independent voices."