Press Release, 17.05.2021

Photo from the official web-site of the Pristensky District municipality

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kursk Region recognised the refusal of the local authorities to give a permission for a single picket in the village of Pristen as unreasonable and unlawful. The Public Prosecutor’s Office found that the refusal of the authorities violated the requirements of Articles 7 and 12 of Federal Law No 54 “On rallies, demonstrations, processions, and picketing”, as well as a loose and incorrect interpretation of Clause 16 of the Governor’s Order No. 60-rg “On the introduction of a high alert regime”. Based on the violations revealed, the Public Prosecutor’s Office made a submission to the head of the village, Vadim Katykhin, to amend the violation.

Yan Furtsev, a member of the Kursk branch of Yabloko, disputed the unlawul refusal of the local authorities in the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

“I considered the decision of Vadim Katykhin to refuse to give his approval [for the picket] to be unfair and unfounded. It was decided to appeal the denial. After almost three months, a series of challenging the refusal in the state power bodies, including the Pristensky District Public Prosecutor’s Office, we managed to achieve a result,” Yan Furtsev emphasised.

The activist notes that there were three episodes of appeal, including two to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kursk region and one to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Pristensky district. The latter considered that the refusal to hold a picket was lawful. After two appeals, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kursk region found that the officials of the Administration of the village of Pristen unreasonably refused citizens to hold a picket.

In February 2021, a group of five citizens from Pristen submitted a notice of a picket. They planned to publicly express their attitude to the socio-economic situation in the country, and the rise in prices for food-stuffs and services.