The office of Moscow's mayor has rejected a request by opposition groups to stage a November 20 protest against what they call the "mass annihilation of residents" in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
Sergei Davidis, a leader of the opposition December 5 Party, wrote on Facebook on November 11 that the reasons behind the mayor's decision were unclear. He said the decision would be appealed in court.
Davidis said earlier on November 7 that the protest would aim to attract attention to Russian military activities in Syria.
Organizers of the proposed demonstration included his party, as well as opposition groups like the PARNAS party, the Libertarian Party of Russia, the For Human Rights movement, and the Solidarity movement.
Davidis said the opposition is demanding that Moscow only conduct military operations in Syria against groups that the United Nations has deemed as terrorists.
Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have besieged the rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo.
