Kremlin investigating police, protestor complaints

MOSCOW Russia said on Tuesday that it was investigating police and demonstrators' complaints about clashes last week in the country's capital. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that protests last Saturday saw both an authorized demonstration as well as an attempt to sow civil disorder. Peskov said that in the first case, "disproportionate use of force was unacceptable", while law enforcement in the second case "did what they had to do to prevent the unrest". There had been cases of attacks on the police and use of force against protesters, with relevant authorities examining complaints from both sides, he added. "We are filing and paying attention to all records, that appear, those, obviously registering cases [use of force by the police], said Peskov, adding that the government was filing records of "disobedience" and "agression" against law enforcement authorities. He underlined that police could take "'tough measures" to prevent civil disorder. Russian opposition groups took to the streets on three consecutive weekends accusing the Central Election Commission of impartiality over a 3% barrier for candidates running for local parliamentary elections in September. As a result, nearly 2,000 protesters were arrested in unauthorized rallies.