MOSCOW -- Moscow authorities have given the go-ahead for a planned demonstration in support of freedom of assembly in the Russian capital at the end of this month, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The Strategy 31 meeting will bring together human rights and opposition activists on Moscow's Triumph Square on December 31.
Lyudmila Alekseyeva, who chairs the Moscow Helsinki Group, told RFE/RL that activists agreed to the mayor's office request to limit the number of demonstrators to 1,000.
Strategy 31 is a campaign that supports freedom of assembly -- which is theoretically guaranteed by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution -- by holding demonstrations on the last day of every month that has 31 days.
The campaign was launched last year by Eduard Limonov, a leader of the Other Russia opposition coalition. Other opposition groups and rights activists joined later.
Opposition politicians led by Limonov applied separately to the Moscow mayor's office asking for permission to hold a Strategy 31 gathering on the same square.
Konstantin Kosyakin, a co-founder of the Strategy 31 movement along with Limonov, said today that the request had been turned down.
Limonov and Alekseyeva split in October after the latter agreed to the authorities' request to limit the number of demonstrators.
Limonov at the time accused her of collaborating with Moscow officials.
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