MOSCOW, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A Moscow court's ruling overturning a lower court ban on "Day of Wrath" protests marked the first time complainants have won an appeal, one of them said.
The Moscow City Court ruling clears the way for legal public demonstrations in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported.
Sergei Udaltsov, one of the complainants and a member of the Left Front opposition group, said hundreds of appeals have been filed against Moscow officials who refuse to authorize protest rallies downtown.
Udaltsov's appeal was over a Moscow district court's refusal to let protesters stage a "Day of Wrath" demonstration on March 20. The demonstration was to protest the policies of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov.
The ruling opens the door to a wide range of previously banned or restricted demonstrations, including the denial of a permit for an annual gay parade in May.
The Moscow City Court ordered officials to provide evidence the parade would violate any laws. Since 2006, the court has rejected about 200 appeals asking for permission for gay parades, the report said.
Rallies in Moscow often result in mass detentions. Opposition groups say Article 31 in the Russian Constitution gives them freedom of assembly, which they commemorate in rallies at Triumfalnaya Square on the last day of every month that has 31 days.
