In total, Reznik spent 17 days behind bars. He was detained on the night on March 3rd outside the offices of the Yabloko branch in St. Petersburg, after militsiya officers arrived on the scene of an apparent street scuffle. On March 4th, he was committed to two months imprisonment on charges of “insulting a representative of the authorities,” and assaulting a police officer.

Garry Kasparov, the leader of the United Civil Front, said Reznik’s arrest was attempted inference with a conference of liberal forces, set to take place in St. Petersburg on April 5th. Reznik serves as the chairman of the conference’s organizing committee.

A wide range of prominent public figures stepped out in support of Reznik. In addition, demonstrators held daily solitary pickets protesting his incarceration outside the offices of the Prosecutor’s Office in St. Petersburg, as well as the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow.

The court decision was made behind closed doors, with only Reznik’s mother in attendance. Reznik’s lawyer, Boris Grust, told press that the process was rife with violations and that he planned to appeal the decision.

Garry Kasparov, the leader of the United Civil Front, commented on the arrest: “The first momentous event after the “election” of Dmitri Medvedev is a fabricated legal case against one of the most outstanding leaders of the opposition. It is no coincidence that Maxim Reznik was chosen as the target, since he plays a critical role in organizing the All-Russian Democratic Conference, which was planned for April 6th in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin is cleaning out the political landscape for yet another farcical alliance under the aegis of [Andrei] Bogdanov, the ‘uniter of the democrats.’ The authorities can still get away with impunity and complete lawlessness, and it seems to be coming in style.”

Maxim Reznik was detained on the night of March 2nd to the 3rd outside of the Yabloko party office in St. Petersburg. According to the official account, he was “resisting militsiya officers.” Meanwhile, it appears that force was used against him, as his jacket is torn, and he has suffered some bruises.

Witnesses said that around 2 AM, a shouting match was taking place outside of Yabloko headquarters. Patrol officers passing nearby began to detain participants. Reznik tried to intervene in the conflict, and was arrested himself.

Reznik maintains his innocence, and announced that he was starting a hunger strike until a court decision was made about his pre-trial restrictions. He believes that there are no grounds to keep him in custody, as he’s a public politician and the single wage earner for his family.

The leader of the Yabloko party, Grigory Yavlinsky, called the criminal case a provocation and said that it was politically motivated.

Alexander Shurshev, a senior Yabloko activist, explained his view to Reuters: “It’s an act of intimidation against the opposition movement in St Petersburg, an attempt to behead it and isolate one of its leaders.”