Dmitry Gudkov, a prominent opposition politician and former parliamentarian, was detained by Russian law enforcement officials on Tuesday, TASS news agency reported, part of a broader crackdown on Kremlin critics.<br /><br />While a sitting lawmaker in the lower house of parliament, Gudkov was expelled from the Just Russia party in 2013 for helping organise anti-Kremlin protests. He later went on to join Russia's liberal opposition and oppose President Vladimir Putin.<br /><br />TASS, citing unnamed sources, reported that Gudkov had been detained for 48 hours on suspicion that he had failed to pay debt under a lease agreement for a non-residential building in 2015-2017. Gudkov could be jailed for up to five years if charged and found guilty by a court, TASS said.<br /><br />His detention is the latest in a wider crackdown against opponents of the Kremlin ahead of a parliamentary election in September. Opposition politician Alexei Navalny is the highest profile Kremlin critic to be jailed.
