Students file complaint over forced rally attendance

Students from Dubna University in the Moscow region have filed a complaint with prosecutors alleging that the rector forced them to attend a rally in support of president-elect Vladimir Putin, reports The Moscow Times.

The students said the forced trip, organised by Rector Dmitry Fursayev and other university officials to attend a 5 March rally on Manezh Square, was a violation of an article in the legal code forbidding those in official positions from coercing people to attend rallies, the BBC Russian Service reported on Monday.

The university has denied the allegations. Fursayev told the BBC: "From my side, there was no coercion."

In a video posted online, Fursayev is shown addressing students via a megaphone and explaining that students were taken from class to participate in an event the university was "responsible for attending". He also said the university would verify reasons any students gave for not attending the event.
Full report on The Moscow Times site