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Four activists of the YABLOKO party and Environmental Watch
on the Northern Caucasus were arrested yesterday by the dacha
of Governor of the Krasnodar Area Alexander Tkachyov. [The
rich region under Tkachoyv’s governing has become known for
violence and murders at absolute negligence of the police
to the protection of public order, however, only recently
information on the criminal situation in the region has escaped
to the broad public, when one of the most atrocious murders
- a mass killing of 12 people including four children in Kuschoyvskaya
village - has recently got into the media].
Tkachyov’s Dacha – such is the informal name of elite recreational
complex built for the Governor of the Krasnodar Area Alexander
Tkachyov on the Black Sea coast in the Blue Bay (by Dzhubga
village, Tuapse district).
Most of the territory of the complex belongs to the forest
fund of Russia. However, in violation of the Forest Code the
territory of the “dacha” is fenced. In violation of Article
6 of the Water Code a free passage to the sea is blocked.
The Blue Bay is famous for its unique natural beauties: forests
(especially unique endemic Pitsunda pine forests), waterfalls,
mountain landscapes. Mountain forests stretch along the coast
line covering 80 per cent of the Tuaspe area. The bay has
been a traditional recreation place for the local residents
and visitors from all over Russia. Now all the coast passages
are virtually blocked by fences protecting private beeches.
Activists from the YABLOKO party and Environmental Watch on
the Northern Caucasus and journalists decided to find out
whether the complex in question was really the Governor’s
dacha and weather the passage through the territory was really
prohibited. So they decided to hold a public inspection in
a form of a picnic by the fence of the “dacha”. The inspection
discovered the facts of cutting of the endemic pine which
is protected by the Russian law.
However, soon police arrived at the scene and without any
explanation detained 19 people, including 3 journalists. The
detention was violent, one of the activists – Suryen Gazaryan
was injured (the policemen dragged him 30 meters to the police
car and also broke his nose). All the activists were taken
to the local police department in handcuffs. The police also
removed from the registration number from the ecologists’
car.
All the personal belongings of the activists (photo and video
cameras and telephones) were confiscated. During the confiscation
the securities guarding the dacha and summoned as witnesses
at the confiscation confirmed that the dacha belonged to Governor
Tkachyov; whereas the policemen simply pretended not to hear
such questions.
Six hours later 12 ecologists, and all the journalists were
released without issuing any protocols of the detention (i.e.
without official evidence of the detention). Another four
activists - the leader of the Tuapse branch of YABLOKO Eugeny
Vitishko, and YABLOKO’s activists Suren Ghazarian and Dmitry
Shestochenko and activist of the Ecological Watch Zufar Achilov
were detained in the police department over night without
allowing them to sleep.
Today the four activists were brought to trial. In violation
of all the norms the trial was conducted in a closed regime,
neither journalists, nor public were admitted.
The leader of the Tuapse YABLOKO Eugeny Vitishko received
10 days, Dmitry Shevchenko, Zufar Achilov and Suren Gazaryan
7 days of administrative arrest for alleged resisting the
police actions. It should be also noted that Eugeny Vitishko
did not resist the police, moreover he was not even arrested.
After 19 environmentalists were taken to the police department,
Vitishko arrived there, and was taken into custody already
in the police department.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin called this incident “arbitrary
rule” of the police. Mitrokhin also forwarded and address
to Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev demanding to
release the activists. Mitrokhin also demanded from the Minister
to bring to justice head of the regional Interior Department
Vladimir Vinevsky and the policemen who “protected” the unlawfully
seized plot of land.
Mitrokhin also appealed to the Public Prosecutor General demanding
to conduct an audit of the Krasnodar police and a criminal
investigation into the detention of ecologists.
YABLOKO will also appeal the lawless decisions by the court
conducted with procedural violations.
See also:
Protection
of Environment
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