Democratic forces of Russia held a protest rally in centre of St.Petersburg to demand freedom of assembly and the right to protest which is guaranteed by Russian Constitution. Freedom of assembly is guaranteed in Article 31 of the Russian Constitution but has been a glaring casualty of the rise of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Human rights activists regularly try to stage demonstrations to draw attention to the repression of public dissent by Putin`s government. Pictured: police arresting an old woman-invalid who supported the demand for freedom.