Moscow city authorities have declined to give the opposition permission to hold a rally in the capital on July 26 to protest against controversial new antiterror legislation.
Officials said on July 22 that the activists had “not completed all the procedures” needed to hold a demonstration.
Opposition activist Leonid Volkov, however, said the protest had been authorized by the Moscow City Hall on July 14, and accused the authorities of an “illegal” reversal to stop them from rallying.
Volkov said the protest organizers on July 22 submitted two signatures to City Hall that authorities said were missing from their original application.
Volkov said he still hoped to obtain approval for the protest.
The opposition wants to protest controversial legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 7 that greatly ramps up surveillance of citizens and beefs up laws on extremism.
It has been described as Russia’s “Big Brother” law by Edward Snowden, the Moscow-based former U.S. security contractor.