TODAY: Trifonova arrest extension deemed unlawful; whistleblower ex-policeman to hold rally; Luzhkov in precarious position?  Russia to consider following US example on nuclear transparency; START ratification process begins; Lavrov rebuffs US warning on weapons to Iran; adoption issue settled.  Eastern Neighborhood Project; dark days for Russian worker safety

The Moscow Regional Court has ruled that the decision to extend the arrest of Vera Trifonova, who died while being held in pretrial detention on fraud charges, was unlawful.  Trifonova’s lawyer wishes to open a criminal case against the judge who extended the custody ruling.  Former Russian policeman and corruption whistleblower, Alexei Dymovsky, has announced plans to hold a nationwide rally on June 12 against abuses in law enforcement.  Just how much is a senator worth?  A group of bloggers and rights activists have picketed the Russian Embassy in Yerevan to urge President Dmitry Medvedev to assist an Armenian-born journalist jailed in Moldova’s Transdniester region.  There is a piece by Brian Whitmore on RFE/RL suggesting that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov is perilously close to losing his job, but the Kremlin remains uncertain as to how to fill the political power vacuum that he would leave behind.