The head of the Russian branch of Amnesty International, Natalya Zvyagina, called the arrests "a cowardly" move against civil rights activists.
"The authorities hypocritically limit public events under the pretext of the pandemic by arresting solo demonstrators who do not pose a threat to anyone but the authorities as their abuses are being uncovered," Zvyagina said in a statement Thursday. "The demonstrators are being thrown into overcrowded cells where they are risking getting infected with Covid-19."
The discontent regarding the criminal proceedings against Vorontsov has been brewing for several weeks.
Vorontsov's apartment has been raided at least three times since he retired from service in 2017, with police confiscating his computers and phones, according to state media.
He was detained on May 7, when a special task force stormed his apartment descending on ropes from the roof of his residential building, according to his wife's account of the raid.
He was then jailed for two months and is currently awaiting a verdict on two separate charges involving extortion and illegal distribution of pornography, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported at the time, citing his lawyers.
Vorontsov denies these charges, saying the case is politically motivated and linked to his activism.
His platform, called "Police Ombudsman," has amassed about 500,000 followers on social media. Vorontsov has been hailed as an unofficial union leader for law enforcement officers as the project reported on a suicide wave among police, caused in part by what it called a "race for crime solving rate," and published other stories about a hostile work environment and overwork among officers.
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