Russian human rights activists have been...
"We have received permission from the authorities to hold a rally and we expect some 1,000 people to come to Triumfalnaya Square on March 6," Lev Ponomaryov, head of the For Human Rights organization, told RIA Novosti.
He said the meeting was due to be held on February 28, but was postponed because of a "misunderstanding" with the Moscow authorities over the venue.
Similar rallies by rights groups in Russia have often been met with a heavy police presence. Some 100 people, including several prominent opposition leaders, were detained on New Year"s Eve during an unsanctioned rally in downtown Moscow.
Following a series of brutal crimes by police officers, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has moved to introduce tougher punishment for police found guilty of crimes, submitting a bill to parliament imposing harsher sentences than for civilians convicted of similar offences. The president announced in December extensive Interior Ministry reforms.