"Assa": Ingush authorities prevent holding picket

As stated by Issa Akhilgov, head of the youth organization named "Assa", the picket on the Deportation Day of the Balkar nation, which was scheduled for March 8 near the memorial - the monument to victims of repression "Nine Towers" in Nazran, - was not sanctioned by the authorities.

According to his story, on March 4 he officially notified the Mayoralty of Nazran about the upcoming picket. However, as he said, the Mayor refused to consider the document and forbade his secretary to register it.

"Mayor Ozdoev has cynically ignored the notification about the picket. I think he is intentionally impeding our event. This morning when I arrived at the Mayoralty, he would not even let me enter his office and said through his secretary that he was busy. We decided this year to hold a picket in memory of deportation of Balkar people. We want to express our sympathy to all those who suffered in those Stalin years, who was evicted from their homes and their lands - Balkars, Karachays and Kalmyks," Mr Akhilgov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He added that, having been refused he went to the post office and sent the notification again. As later reported by the postman, he gave the paper to the Mayor's secretary, but she refused to sign the receipt. It was signed by the Mayoralty security.

The Nazran Mayoralty refused from any official comments regarding the picket notification.

Issa Akhilgov plans to go on fighting for citizens' right to hold public events. If the Mayoralty fails to respond to notifications, he will hold the picket together with his supporters.

He said that some 200-250 persons will come to take part in the event.

Mr Akhilgov has added that he has all the postal documents in hand, and he had done everything possible to observe all the formalities.