A lawyer for activists in the radical art group Voina is complaining that police in St. Petersburg have severely beaten his clients and prevented his legally protected access to them, Kasparov.ru reports.

According to the human rights association Agora, lawyer Dmitri Dinze was prohibited from entering St. Petersburg’s 78th police precinct on the night of March 31, where the activists were placed after being detained at a rally in defense of free assembly.

Having been told that the artists had been beaten, Dinze called Russia’s emergency police number five times during the course of the night. At first, Dinze was promised that officers would be dispatched to resolve the situation, but during the fifth phone call he was told that there was nothing they could do and the lawyer would have to speak with the head of the Central Regional Department ...

Update 04/01/11: Information added about protests at Dvortsovaya Square and in Ryazan.

Opposition rallies were held throughout Russia on Thursday as thousands of activists and human rights advocates continued to support the Strategy 31 campaign in defense of free assembly.

In Moscow, two separate rallies were held per recent tradition. Between 300 and 1000 people joined Strategy 31 co-leader Lyudmila Alexeyeva for a government-sanctioned rally at Pushkin Square, where the longtime rights advocate spoke alongside fellow advocate Lev Ponomarev, environmental activist Yevgeniya Chirikova, and others.

Moscow city police estimated the crowd at 150 ralliers and 150 journalists.

Only one person appears to have been arrested at the rally. Someone dressed as a pigeon was taken away after rally organizers told police it could be a possible act of provocation.

Further up the street at Triumfalnaya Square, Strategy 31 founder and Other Russia party leader Eduard Limonov ...

On the eve of a national opposition protest in defense of free assembly, Russian law enforcement agents have raided the organizational offices of Strategy 31, Kasparov.ru reports.

Other Russia party member Aleksandr Averin said 20 police officers armed with automatic weapons broke into the office near Moscow’s Belorusskaya metro station on Wednesday, breaking both the door and a window.

Another Other Russia party leader, Nikolai Avdyushenkov, said four activists have been detained – Konstantin Makarov, Marat Salakhiev, Dmitri Kulkov and Alena Kapotina.

"It’s obvious that today’s search is connected with tomorrow’s action on Triumfalnaya Square,” said Averin, referring to the traditional meeting place for Strategy 31 participants. "Members of law enforcement agencies are trying to frighten supporters of free assembly in carrying out the orders of their superiors.”

"It’s particularly worth noting that there was also a raid on the headquarters of Strategy 31 ...