The Kirov administration did not approve a rally in memory of Anna Politkovskaya

The Kirov administration did not coordinate a rally in memory of the murdered Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya. This was announced to OVD-Info by the organizer of the event, Vadim Ananyin.

The rally was planned to be held on October 7, the anniversary of the death of Anna Politkovskaya, on Kirov Theater Square. Officials cited several reasons as reasons for the refusal:

• the location of the action is too close to cultural and educational institutions;
• a fair will be held on the specified area all autumn;
• on the evening of October 7, a performance will be held at the theater located nearby;
• the rally will prevent pedestrians from walking in the square near the fountain, access to the theater and to the ground transport stop;
• activities in the context of the coronavirus epidemic threaten the health of citizens, so they are banned.

Officials did not offer the organizer other sites, and when he himself prepared a list of alternatives, they did not consider it. Vadim Ananin filed a lawsuit against the Kirov administration to challenge the refusal to approve the rally. Information about the administration's responses was obtained from the statement of claim.

• In July 2020, the city administration, for similar reasons, did not agree on a rally against changing the Constitution and the usurpation of power.
• The law of the Kirov region prohibits rallies around medical, educational and places of worship. At the same time, on June 4, 2020, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation recognized such prohibitions as unacceptable.
• Kirov public figure Vadim Ananyin appealed against the law of the Kirov region with restrictions on public events. In August 2020, the court declared illegal the city administration’s decree prohibiting holding public events at a distance of 100-250 meters from various institutions.
• Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in the entrance of her house on October 7, 2006. In 2014, the court sentenced Lom-Ali Gaytukaev to life imprisonment for organizing the murder. Rustam Makhmudov, who shot at Politkovskaya, was also sentenced to life in prison. Brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov received 12 and 13.5 years in prison as accomplices. In addition, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former employee of the RUBOP, was sentenced to 20 years. The customer of the crime could not be identified.