Press Release, 06.08.2014

On July 28 Elena Gorkovyenko, born in 1958, set herself on fire protesting against unlawful actions of the authorities who plan to strip the residents of No 15 Karasnoarmeyskaya Street, Searatov, Mordovia, of their land. At the moment the woman is
in the resuscitation department.

The residents of No 15 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street appealed to YABLOKO since the authorities plan to strip them of the land by their block of flats.

Chair of the local YABLOKO branch Vladimir Gridin said that the case has begun since 2011. “There’be been several court hearings which the residents won. But all the court decisions were ignorted”, he said.

Mayor of the the city Petr Tultayev doesn’t obey court decisions and the law as well.

According to the city administration, some substantial will be built on the land.

“Unlawful actions of the Mordovia authorities supported by police provoked the woman to set herself on fire. Should we set ourselves on fire to make the authorities listen to us?”, runs the statement of the residents of the block of flats.

“Local mass media claim Elena Gorovyenko has gone mad. No one even wants to find out what has happened”, commented Vladimir Gridin.

The pre-investigation check under the Article 144-145 of the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the presence or absence of the constituent element of offence provived by the Article 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code (incitement to suicide) takes place at the moment. “We will do everything possible to protect the rights of the citizens”, said Vladimir Gridin.