Press Release, January 27, 2014

YABLOKO considered illegitimate refusal to institute criminal proceedings for nationalist statements Krasnodar Governor Alexander Tkachev.

“After receiving a refusal [from the Investigative Committee of the Krasnodar Territory] to institute criminal proceedings, we will appeal it in court. It is very strange that linguistic expertise revealed no evidence of a crime [in Tkachyov’s statements arising ethnic hatred]. I can not rule out that Governor Tkachyov influenced the decision of the Investigative Committee,” Sergei Mitrokhin said.

Sergei Mitrokhin sent an appeal to open a criminal case against Governor Tkachyov to the President when Investigative Committee neglected the case of inciting ethnic hatred by the Governor who at the meeting of the heads of the interior in the Krasnodar Territory said that he would oust people whose ethnic origins lie in the Northern Caucasus from the Krasnodar Territory. Such a statement was made by the Governor in August 2012.

On December 31, 2013, head of the Investigative Department of the Krasnodar Territory Colonel V. Bugaenko informed Sergei Mitrokhin about launching an investigation. In his letter he informed that the Investigative Department had detected signs of crime in the actions of the Governor. Nevertheless later these conclusions were rejected by the Investigative Department.