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Google has removed YouTube ads from prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who called for protests against Russian government plans to increase the retirement age, after the authorities complained that these videos broke the law.
Leonid Volkov, a Navalny contributor, said Google's decision "presents a clear case of political censorship". He said that it was the first time that Google responded to the request of the Russian authorities to block the content of the opposition.
Navalny, who was jailed for 30 days last month for protest-related charges, on Sunday called for nationwide protests against the government's plan to raise the retirement age for the first time since the 1930s. About 80% of Russians are against plans and Vladimir Putin's approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level in four years.
Google has confirmed that he has removed the videos. "We consider all the justified calls of the state organs. We also require advertisers to act in accordance with local law and our advertising policies, "the company told Reuters.
Last month, Russian officials sent a letter to Google asking them to block Navalny's videos because they were illegal under the country's electoral laws, which banned political campaigns 24 hours before the elections. The Russians vote in the regional elections on Sunday and Moscow is holding municipal elections that the outgoing Kremlin president Sergei Sobyanin is expected to win easily. Critics say the Kremlin prevented opposition candidates from voting.
Volkov accused the Russian authorities of misleading Google by alleging that Navalny's videos were a form of electoral interference.
He said: "The rallies have nothing to do with the elections". He pointed out that Google had removed the videos in areas of Russia where there were no elections on Sunday. "Not all requests signed by a government authority should automatically be considered legitimate," he added.
Police arrested more than a dozen members of the Navalny opposition movement before the pension rallies, accusing most of them of organizing illegal demonstrations. The arrests continued on Sunday as police cracked down on demonstrations in Siberia and eastern Russia before subsequent protests in central and western Russia, including Moscow.
Putin, who pledged in 2005 not to raise the retirement age while he was president, admitted that the pension changes are "painful" for the Russians, but that the country may collapse if the government's proposals are not approved.
Last month, in a televised speech, he diluted the government's plans by stating that the national retirement age for women should be raised from 55 to 60, instead of 63, as previously proposed. The national retirement age for men would increase from 60 to 65 years.
The plans of the government are largely unpopular because many Russians fear not to live to see their pensions. Although life expectancies are increasing in Russia, they are still relatively low, especially for men whose average age is 66 years. Russian women can expect to live up to 77 years, but a lot or a pension.
