Stavropol Territory: militia disperses a meeting for dismissal of the head of Kislovodsk

On August 3 in the city of Kislovodsk (Stavropol Territory) militia disrupted a meeting that demanded resignation of Vitaly Biryukov, Mayor of the city, organized by the City Public Movement "Veche" (Popular Assembly).

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports with a reference to Radij Fizikov, leader of the Public Movement "Veche," that the organizers of the action had timely notified the local authorities about its time and place: near the Colonnade at 4:00 p.m. Moscow time. However, the authorities pointed to the impossibility of holding the action near this city's cultural monument and suggested to change the place.

At 4:00 p.m. Moscow time, Radij Fizikov arrived to the initially chosen venue of the meeting and with a megaphone in hands tried to rally the protesters (about 300 persons) around him, probably, intending to move away (change the place of the action) together with them. After a minute of verbal skirmish with militiamen, the latter detained his son and his two friends who were several meters off the meeting crowd; then, the militia detained R. Fizikov himself together with Victor Sedenkov, editor-in-chief of the regional independent newspaper "Ogni Kavminvod," who stood near him, and brought them to the Interior Department (UVD).

The militiamen (about 50 persons with two working dogs) first tried to hustle the crowd away from the organizer, and then started to push pensioners off and screw arms of elderly women.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported earlier with reference to the "Veche" Movement that over 3,000 signatures had been gathered under the impeachment petition of V. Biryukov, head of the city-resort Kislovodsk, and his team.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the detained participants of the meeting were released, in relation to some of them protocols were drawn up on an administrative offence of organizing an illegal action, the rest of them were set free without explaining the reasons of detention.