Russia calls for "early settlement" over arrest of Russian activist in Moldova

Russia remains concerned over the fate of Eduard Bagirov, a Russian writer and blogger arrested in June in Chisinau, Moldova, who has since been in detention without being formally charged, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The issue was discussed at a meeting on Monday between Russia's First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Denisov and Moldova's Ambassador Andrey Negutu. A Chisinau court ruled on August 15 Bagirov should remain in custody before his trial, but no date has yet been set. Bagirov was detained on June 16 on suspicion of organizing mass riots in Moldova on April 7, 2009, when a crowd of protesters forced their way into the parliament building and the presidential administration. The April 2009 protests, initially led by the opposition after an allegedly fraudulent parliamentary election, turned violent. Some 10,000 rioters, mainly students, hung Romanian flags above the presidential residence and parliament buildings. The unrest left several hundred protesters and police injured.