Russian opposition leader Lyubov Sobol is among scores of people detained during an unauthorised Moscow protest.

Ms Sobol was in a taxi about to set off for the rally when police officers dragged her into a black van, which swiftly sped off.

Protesters are gathering in the Russian capital after authorities disqualified a number of opposition candidates from standing in local elections.

Russian officials said that 30 people had been arrested out of 350 attendees.

But other reports put that number much higher. OVD-Info, a group which runs a hotline for reporting detentions, said that at least 194 people had been arrested, including some journalists, and there were at least six reports of beatings by police.

Officers in riot gear had earlier moved into the capital and warned people not to protest.

Ms Sobol, a lawyer and video blogger, is one of the candidates excluded from the local elections. She has been on hunger strike for 21 days, and called on others to join the unsanctioned protest on Saturday.

Authorities said she is being held for violating regulations for street demonstrations.

In July, Ms Sobol was dragged out of the electoral commission office on a sofa.

Speaking to independent broadcaster Dozhd before her detention, she said the authorities "are doing everything they can to try to intimidate the opposition".

BBC

BDST: 1929 HRS, AUG 3, 2019
SI