The German government has condemned Russian police use of 'excessive force' to break up weekend protests against the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the DPA press agency reported on Monday.
A total of 350 demonstrators, including a representative of Germany's public TV, were briefly arrested in the protests which took place in Moscow on Saturday and the nation's second biggest city, St Petersburg on Sunday.
A German government spokesman Thomas Steg said that the 'excessive use of force' by Russian security officials had been a cause for concern.
In particular, Steg said that action against members of the media had been 'unacceptable' with the German Embassy in Moscow protesting about the detention of accredited journalists.
The German government expects a 'comprehensive statement' from the Russian side explaining the circumstances surrounding the protests and the arrests, Steg said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected to raise the Russian police action with Putin at a Russian-European Union summit set for May 18 in the Russian city of Samara. Germany currently holds the EU presidency.
Source: MoscowNews
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