Authorities ban opposition rally in central Rostov in defence of freedom of assembly

In Rostov-on-Don, activists of the opposition - United Civil Front, "Left-Wing Front" and "Solidarity" - plan to go out on March 31 to the central street of the city, Bolshaya Sadovaya, at the entrance to the Gorky Park, and hold an action similar to the one planned on that very day in Moscow in the Triumph Square - in defence of Article 31 of the Constitution - on the freedom of assembly.

15 days prior to the planned date of the action, its organizers lodged a notification to the Rostov Mayoralty. However, in response they received a paper signed by some mayoralty official saying that the applied 50 participants "will interfere with the flow of pedestrians."

The area in front of the entrance to the park is rather large; and mass city holidays, children's morning performances and concerts attended by hundreds of people are permanently held there. In spite of it, several dozens of oppositionists were rejected.

Boris Batyi, leader of the Rostov branch of the United Civil Front (UCF), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent: "We are always forbidden to hold our actions there; they refuse under different pretexts. Then, we again addressed the mayoralty and asked, how many protesters, in their opinion, would not prevent pedestrians - from two up to fifty. We thought like that: let them allow 25 persons only. Then the worst variant for the applicants will be a one-thousand-rouble fine for excessive participants."

"But this application was also responded strangely," Boris said. "The mayoralty answered that since we've been campaigning from the moment of the first application - sticking posters, while having, by the way, our full right to do so, - a lot of people would come. And we'd interfere with all passers-by."

Instead of the Sadovaya Street, bureaucrats offered them to go to the Palace of Sports in the Khalturinskiy Lane. "But who will be our audience there? The militiamen who will come to guard us?" the head of the Rostov OGF branch was perplexed.

"We're getting ready, we'll go to the Sadovaya Street, to the Gorky Park. Personally, I'm not sure that I'll get there," he said.

On March 27, Boris Batyi was detained. In the course of the rally of motorists in Rostov he disseminated leaflets inviting to come to the rally on March 31. However, militiamen, in particular, Senior Lieutenant Artyom Marterosyan, brought him to the Pervomaiskiy ROVD (District Interior Division). There, Batyi faced a conversation with experts of the "E" Centre for counteracting extremism who refused to present themselves.

"However, one of them was my old acquaintance," said Mr Batyi. "He took part in searches at my home and office back in 2007. They told me an amusing thing: they would not 'PR' me any longer. I understand that 'PR' means that they put me into custody periodically. Now they promised to 'smear' me with compromising evidences."

"They held an 'edificatory' talk with me," said the Rostov OGF branch leader. "They frightened me a bit, urged to cooperate and reminded me of my criminal case on computer counterfeit that lasts since 2007. I think they just wanted to press on me."

In spite of counteraction of city authorities, supporters of the OGF, "Solidarity" and "Left-Wing Front" will go out on March 31 to Bolshaya Sadovaya. The intention, according to their leaders, remains unchanged.

"The point is in how many of them will reach the place of our action? We were let to know that our activists will be detained on the way. It looks incredible, but when last time we just decided to meet with our colleagues in a cafe near the Gorky Park, even then the militia came there; they began checking documents, detaining…," Mr Batyi said.

"I'll go out on March 31 without posters and without slogans. Certainly, they will find the reason to detain me if they wish," he said.