Alexei Navalny, the leader of protests against Russian President, out of jail, faces two charges

The leader of protests against President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, was released from detention on Sunday, a day after he was arrested in Moscow’s Pushkin Square along with hundreds of other demonstrators protesting Mr. Putin’s inauguration on Monday for a new term. More than 1,500 demonstrators across Russia including himself, the protest was along with Navalny. He has been charged with organizing an unauthorized meeting and of resisting police. Each of those charges can reward him a jail sentence of 15 days.

OVD-Info, an organization that monitors Russian political arrests, stated at least 1,575 people were detained in demonstrations in 26 cities across Russia on Saturday protesting Mr. Putin’s upcoming inauguration on Monday for a new term.

It was not clarified yet how many remained in custody, although the presidential human rights council expressed about 80% of 658 detainees in Moscow had been released.

Amnesty International called the arrests and beatings of some Russian protesters “outrageous.”

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Despite the arrests, Mr. Navalny termed the protests “a great success.”

“Mr. Putin is coming into a fifth term and wants to demonstrate to all that ‘I am the owner of this country and I will eat everything here; those who do not support me sit quietly and do not dare to make a squeak’,” Mr. Navalny said on his website.

“But we showed that, no, it won’t be this way for you; you are not the only one here and you will not frighten us,” he said.

Mr. Putin is preparing to begin his fourth term as Russian President. Mr. Navalny’s characterization of him beginning the fifth term refers to Mr. Putin’s being Prime Minister in 2008-12. He was barred by the Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term as President but was widely regarded as remaining the country’s leader while Dmitry Medvedev filled the chair in the Kremlin.

The anti-corruption campaigner who has become Mr. Putin’s most prominent and determined opponent has dealt with several weeks-long jail terms for organizing protests.