The executive committee's refusal to approve the protest action will be checked by supervisory authorities

The organizers of the protests asked the Kazan prosecutor to give a legal assessment of the actions of the city executive committee, which did not approve the march “For Fair Elections” on February 4. The applicants believe that “none of the reasons” indicated by the executive committee constitute grounds for refusal. The mayor's office took the news of the public's appeal to the prosecutor's office calmly. However, observers believe that the authorities have something to fear - the supervisory authority may well side with the organizers of the protests.

Yesterday, Kazan activist Igor Veselov appealed to the city prosecutor's office with a request to “take prosecutorial response measures” against the executive committee of Kazan, which refused to approve the march on February 4 for the organizing committee of the protests “For Fair Elections.” He believes that the actions of executive committee officials “are illegal and aimed at preventing the holding of a public event.”

As Kommersant wrote on January 26, those who disagreed with the results of the Duma elections planned to walk along Bauman Street from Tukay Square to Millennium Square. However, the executive committee suggested that the organizers of the action “limit themselves to the rally,” since “it is not possible to ensure the safety of the participants in the proposed procession....” In the response from the mayor’s office, signed by the head of the executive committee, Alexei Pesoshin, it was explained that Bauman Street is “a place of intense pedestrian traffic”, “a favorite route for numerous tourist groups”, “crosses the roadway of several streets”, on it “tents and stalls of street trade are displayed”, “ performances by musicians are held,” etc. In addition, in its letter, the executive committee asked to “take into account” “difficult weather conditions - ice, snow cover.” The organizers, who did not want to change the form of the event, sent an additional notice about the new routes of the procession - along Kremlevskaya and Levobulachnaya streets. In yet another refusal, the mayor’s office referred to the fact that the Ministry of Transport and Road Facilities of the Republic “had not received a reasoned conclusion on the possibility or impossibility of holding a procession along the indicated ... routes.” As a result, on the advice of the mayor’s office, the opposition “limited itself to a rally” on Tukay Square (see Kommersant on February 7).

Mr. Veselov believes that “taking into account... the norms of the law,” none of the reasons indicated by the executive committee “can be a basis for non-coordination” of the procession. In his statement, he notes that officials of the executive committee “proposed to change not only the place and time of the public event, but also the form of the event,” which, according to the applicant, is a violation of the requirements of the law “On meetings, rallies, demonstrations, processions and pickets.” . Mr. Veselov emphasizes that “the inaction of third parties... and the inaction of those responsible for cleaning and maintaining Bauman Street in proper sanitary and hygienic condition” also “cannot serve as a basis for non-approval” of the procession. In this regard, the applicant proposes that the prosecutor’s office give a “legal assessment of the actions” of not only the executive committee, but also the republican Ministry of Transport, and also “bring to administrative responsibility the persons responsible for cleaning up” Bauman.

Assistant Prosecutor of Kazan Anton Kosorukov told Kommersant that Mr. Veselov’s statement was “accepted by the prosecutor on duty” yesterday. He added that after it is registered, the prosecutor’s office will “conduct an appropriate check,” and the applicant will receive a response “within the period established by law”—within 30 days.

The head of the press service of the Kazan mayor's office, Sergei Lobov, said that he “does not know” about the corresponding complaint against the city executive committee. He did not comment on the applicants’ arguments, adding the following: “We, thank God, live in a free democratic country, and everyone has the right to go to court or the prosecutor’s office.”

Chairman of the interregional human rights association "Agora" Pavel Chikov believes that "the grounds of the mayor's office do not comply with the law." “Interdepartmental relations cannot become problems for citizens in exercising their constitutional rights,” he explained. Mr. Chikov said that recently the Kazan prosecutor’s office has been “surprising with its decisive actions and rather tough position towards the mayor’s office.” He did not rule out that this time she would “give a critical assessment” of the actions of the executive committee. “This may prompt the mayor’s office to change its approach to coordinating public events in the future,” Mr. Chikov concluded.

Kirill Antonov

The prosecutor was involved in the procession