Police detained Dmitry Gudkov for two days for repaying a mortgage a few years ago.
Russian police release a prominent politician named Dmitry Gudkov from a jail in Moscow on Thursday after holding him for two days.
Mr Gudkov, a former member of parliament, was arrested on a charge of felony criminal mischief for several years. The father says his son has nothing to do with the place.
Shortly after his release, Gudkov posted a picture of himself on Twitter with the words “Freedom!”
Freedom! pic.twitter.com/WOBbGTtYPM
– Dmitry Gudkov (@gudkovd) June 3, 2021
“Thank you all for helping me. This is a thank you to yourself, “he told those who wished others well in the private tweet.
Gudkov’s lawyer Mikhail Biryukov said it was unclear whether his release meant that the investigation was still ongoing, according to Russian reports. Gudkov could face up to five years in prison if convicted and convicted, TASS reported.
Opponents in Russia say in recent months officials have launched a campaign to intimidate opponents ahead of the September parliamentary elections, which the Kremlin has rejected.
Police also searched Gudkov’s home outside Moscow, as well as the homes of friends and relatives.
The Kremlin protester was released when the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, commonly known as the Russian Davos, began Thursday in Russia’s second largest city.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the gathering – the country’s biggest exhibition for retailers – on Friday
Mr Gudkov’s extraordinary release came after a Russian court on Wednesday ordered that a prominent Kremlin detective, Andrei Pivovarov, be jailed for two months.
Pivovarov, the former head of Open Russia, a group that recently represented democracy, was removed from a flight to Warsaw on Monday when his plane boarded a flight.
Police raided his home in Saint Petersburg the same night and a forensic investigation was launched against the attacker for allegedly collaborating with an “unnecessary organization”. Pivovarov will serve up to six years in prison if convicted.
Open Russia, founded by self-proclaimed Putin dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky, announced last week that it was closing down to protect its members from opposition.
The group was elected as a “non-partisan” organization in Russia in 2017 in accordance with a law governing foreign-funded groups accused of political interference.
‘Political activists’
The European Union (EU) has demanded that Gudkov be released from prison.
“The arrest of Dmitry Gudkov’s opposition politicians is politically motivated,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement.
He further added that the Russian government “must allow and promote real competition”.
Russia: arrest of opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov @chantika_cendana_poet and politics. 🇪🇺 demands the immediate release of his freedom fighters and opponents. The government should allow & encourage participation in political competition. https://t.co/qnIy6tdyz5
– Peter Stano (@ExtSpoxEU) June 3, 2021
Although Gudkov was released, Alexey Navalny’s well-known detractor remained in prison for two and a half years. The Kremlin protester was arrested in January after returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a Kremlin poisoning charge, which Russian authorities have denied.
His arrest sparked protests in Russia which has been a major protest against the Kremlin for many years.
