٠٠:٠٣:١٥Dozens of supporters of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny gathered in protest by Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday.
The protest featured a performance portraying a political stand-off fight between a martial arts clothes-sporting Navalny and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A statue depicting a fight was also present, complete with a 'Save Navalny' banner written below.
The protest was held at the site of a pop-up protest camp, which has held ground for the past month.
Reflecting on their own experiences on freedom of speech from the German Democratic Republic (GDR), protester Gabriele Zimnak warned about the reality of a life under a 'dictatorship', noting that "one should be afraid for his own life, when secret police knock on your door."
"I just dream that one day Russia will be free, and I can see this in my lifetime. And I think that Russians, Russian people deserve more than they have," commented Zimnak.
"The main thing is that measures would not be against countries, but rather about certain people who support and fund those regimes. In particular we support personal sanctions against Putin's close circle, oligarchs who support his regime, freezing of assets, revocation of Schengen visas and residence permits in the European Union," said Dmitry, a demonstrator.
Navalny is currently in jail serving a two-year and eight-month jail term for breaching the conditions of a suspended sentence handed to him in 2014. On 23 April, Navalny announced the end of his hunger strike, which lasted a total of 24 days as he demanded better healthcare.
Germany: Protesters in Berlin demand Navalny's release and sanctions against 'Putin's close circle'
Dozens of supporters of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny gathered in protest by Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday.
The protest featured a performance portraying a political stand-off fight between a martial arts clothes-sporting Navalny and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A statue depicting a fight was also present, complete with a 'Save Navalny' banner written below.
The protest was held at the site of a pop-up protest camp, which has held ground for the past month.
Reflecting on their own experiences on freedom of speech from the German Democratic Republic (GDR), protester Gabriele Zimnak warned about the reality of a life under a 'dictatorship', noting that "one should be afraid for his own life, when secret police knock on your door."
"I just dream that one day Russia will be free, and I can see this in my lifetime. And I think that Russians, Russian people deserve more than they have," commented Zimnak.
"The main thing is that measures would not be against countries, but rather about certain people who support and fund those regimes. In particular we support personal sanctions against Putin's close circle, oligarchs who support his regime, freezing of assets, revocation of Schengen visas and residence permits in the European Union," said Dmitry, a demonstrator.
Navalny is currently in jail serving a two-year and eight-month jail term for breaching the conditions of a suspended sentence handed to him in 2014. On 23 April, Navalny announced the end of his hunger strike, which lasted a total of 24 days as he demanded better healthcare.
Dozens of supporters of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny gathered in protest by Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday.
The protest featured a performance portraying a political stand-off fight between a martial arts clothes-sporting Navalny and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A statue depicting a fight was also present, complete with a 'Save Navalny' banner written below.
The protest was held at the site of a pop-up protest camp, which has held ground for the past month.
Reflecting on their own experiences on freedom of speech from the German Democratic Republic (GDR), protester Gabriele Zimnak warned about the reality of a life under a 'dictatorship', noting that "one should be afraid for his own life, when secret police knock on your door."
"I just dream that one day Russia will be free, and I can see this in my lifetime. And I think that Russians, Russian people deserve more than they have," commented Zimnak.
"The main thing is that measures would not be against countries, but rather about certain people who support and fund those regimes. In particular we support personal sanctions against Putin's close circle, oligarchs who support his regime, freezing of assets, revocation of Schengen visas and residence permits in the European Union," said Dmitry, a demonstrator.
Navalny is currently in jail serving a two-year and eight-month jail term for breaching the conditions of a suspended sentence handed to him in 2014. On 23 April, Navalny announced the end of his hunger strike, which lasted a total of 24 days as he demanded better healthcare.