Russian activist seeks permission to party

MOSCOW, June 28 (UPI) -- A Russian human rights activist said she will file a request with Moscow police for permission to hold a party for her 85th birthday.

Lyudmila Alexeyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said she plans to contact police in advance of her July 20 birthday party at a city cafe to prevent running afoul of a controversial new law that increased fines for violating protest laws from about $150 to about $10,000 for participants and $18,000 for organizers, RIA Novosti said Thursday.

"There will be more than 200 guests," Alexeyeva wrote in her blog. "People are sure to walk in groups. In such cases police escort is needed.

"As a law abiding citizen I intend to ask for such escort. Let them accompany my guests from the subway station," she wrote.

Alexeyeva was one of 16 members of the Kremlin's human rights council to quit following the controversial December parliamentary elections.