In Volgograd, solo picketers demand resignation of City Mayor

On August 31, in Volgograd, activists held three solo pickets within the All-Russia action "Strategy-31". The picketers came out in defence of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution and demanded the resignation of Mayor Vitaly Likhachov after the city administration refused to sanction pickets to be held in the city centre on August 31.

Article 31 of the Russian Constitution states: "Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to assemble peacefully, without weapons, hold meetings, rallies and demonstrations, marches and pickets."

Two policemen were on duty next to the activists, and no provocations and detentions took place, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

According to pensioner Galina Tikhenko, one of the participants of the solo pickets, she stands for the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and Volgograd Mayor Vitaly Likhachov. "After Vitaly Likhachov came to power, the situation with human rights deteriorated sharply at our place. They stopped sanctioning our actions. They send us to uninhabited places or arrange provocations," the pensioner told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"In our country, everyone knows that corruption is flourishing here. When people come out to rallies against corruption, our authorities do not sanction rallies. Or people are subjected to beatings at those rallies, and they are imprisoned only because they came out to protest against corruption," stated Vladimir Telpuk, another participant of the solo pickets.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.