Moscow occupy camp uprooted

Russian police have uprooted an occupy protest camp in central Moscow that had recently become a centre of opposition activity.

A Moscow court ruled yesterday to support a lawsuit by residents of Chistoprudny boulevard to evict the activists.

Residents of what came to be known as the Occupy Abay camp were ordered to leave by noon today but police moved in at 5am, evicting several dozen people.

The camp has few permanent residents, and its population fluctuates from several thousand in the evening to less than a hundred at night.

Moscow police said more than 20 activists were detained overnight as they resisted eviction. About 20 more have moved to a square in the west of central Moscow.