MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) – Investigators have petitioned for release of two mass riots case defendants from detention, RAPSI learnt from the Investigative Committee on Tuesday.

According to the statement, investigators seek to place Yegor Zhukov and Sergey Fomin under house arrest considering their role in the riots occurred in Moscow on July 27.

On Tuesday, it also got about that five defendants in a 27 July mass riots case were withdrawn from criminal prosecution due to the lack of criminal elements they have been charged with. Thus, charges were dropped against a volunteer of the Russian social-liberal party Yabloko Valery Kostenok, Sergey Abanichev, Vladislav Barabanov. Daniil Konon and Dmitry Vasilyev. The decision was made based on the results of an objective legal evaluation of all examined materials including video records, according to the Investigative Committee.

However, relevant papers were sent to the Interior Ministry’s bodies as actions of the said people carried signs of an administrative offence, the statement reads.

Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations.

The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commission’s building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts.

Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result.

Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over mass riots. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority.

Several well-known opposition figures including Alexey Navalny, Dmitry Gudkov, Ilya Yashin were arrested and put in detention for alleged organization of an unauthorized rally.

On August 10, an authorized rally in support of unregistered election candidates took place in Moscow and gathered as many as 25,000 participants, according to the police statistics.