U.S. Concern About Handling of Protests in Russia

The United States is concerned by reports of aggressive tactics used by Russian authorities against opposition protestors yesterday in Moscow and other cities. We are particularly concerned by the arrests and detentions of leaders of the opposition, including Garry Kasparov, and call for them to be given proper access to legal counsel and fair treatment in processing. We will have more to say on this situation in the next days as developments warrant.