(Bloomberg) -- Germany and France called on Russia to release peaceful demonstrators detained during election protests, accusing the authorities of undermining democracy and using excessive force.
Russian police detained as many as 700 people, including opposition leaders, at events in Moscow on Saturday to protest an official decision to ban anti-Kremlin candidates from running for the city council in September.
“France condemns the detentions and manifestly excessive use of force surrounding them,” the Foreign Ministry in Paris said in a statement that expressed support for the right to peaceful protests and free elections.
Russia's actions breach international commitments and raise questions about its commitment to unhindered elections, the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It called for the release of “all peaceful demonstrators” and said Russian authorities should admit all independent candidates who fulfill election requirements.
Read more: Putin's Pledge to Ditch the Dollar Is Becoming a Reality
As protesters rallied for the second weekend in a row, Russia's Investigative Committee on Saturday opened a criminal case alleging that opposition politician Alexey Navalny's Anti-Corruption fund was part of a money-laundering scheme.
Ahead of the regional election, President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings are at the lowest since 2013 after five years of falling living standards.
To contact the reporter on this story: Angelina Rascouet in London at arascouet1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Tony Czuczka, Steve Geimann
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