Amnesty International has issued an official statement that explains everything that happened with the Russian police in the U2 concert in Moscow: Amnesty Activists Detained at U2 Concert (Amnesty activists detained at the U2 concert in Moscow).

"Five Amnesty International activists were detained by police yesterday before U2's first concert in Moscow, Russia.

The detained activists had been holding placards within the precincts of the concert and collecting signatures for the campaign "Demand Dignity ', which aims to end human rights violations which drive and deepen global poverty. They were trying to raise awareness of human rights and collecting signatures on a petition. The office of Amnesty International concert was also closed.

And while Amnesty International activists were invited by U2 to join their European tour on tour Tour U2 360, the police ignored protests by activists who were invited and forced them to close their positions.

Although no one resisted the demands of the police to close the post of Amnesty International, a staff member of the Amnesty International office in Moscow and four volunteers were taken to a local police station. They were ordered to explain in writing their actions, and were given an official warning to organize a public action which had not received prior official permission, and were released an hour later.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, but reflects the persistence of the difficult climate in Russia today for people looking to express an opinion that the authorities find it difficult, dissident or sensitive. Amnesty International is concerned that the rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression in Russia are limited to members of the political opposition and human rights defenders, we are also concerned that Russian authorities do not permit such activities unless carried out with explicit sanction, and having tough on those whom they consider offenders