ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 4 (Interfax) - The Interior Ministry Main Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region said the region had sufficient capacity for people placed under administrative arrest.
"The region is not experiencing shortages of places for detaining administrative arrestees. Administrative arrestees are put and being held at places as provided by the law. No violation was committed in the process of placing such people in custody," the regional headquarters of the central police department told Interfax on Thursday.
Problems of overflowing jails were reported earlier by rights groups and a local lawmaker, Boris Vishnevsky. The special detention facility on Zakharyevskaya Street and temporary detention isolators were filled to capacity; those arrested were held in custody at police stations or out-of-town regional facilities, Vishnevsky said.
Over 1,000 people were apprehended during last Sunday's unsanctioned protest in St. Petersburg, the city's ombudsman Alexander Shishlov said. By February 4, administrative charges have been brought against more than 670, over 200 of whom are now under administrative arrest.
Also in custody are people who were held during an unsanctioned rally on January 23, and other offenders.
Many Russian cities held unsanctioned rallies in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny on January 23 and January 31.