18:00, 1 June 2011

Human rights activist Basmanov held a one-person picket in Sochi within the framework of the action "Strategy-31"

On May, 31, human rights activist Sergey Basmanov held a one-person picket in Sochi within the framework of the action "Strategy-31" in protection of clause 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to him, the action passed off without incidents.

From 18:00 till 19:30 Basmanov was standing at a palm-tree near the municipal Administration with three posters which he used in turn.

The posters ran: "Down with autocracy!", "Return election to the people, stinkers!", "Trunk. Railway station. Anapa". According to Basmanov, the third poster was suggesting Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov to go back to Anapa.

There were several representatives of Mayor's office and policemen near the picketer who made no attempts to detain Basmanov and were just watching the picket.

According to Basmanov, only Tavleev, Deputy Chief of District Department of Interior Affairs in Central district of Sochi, approached him to read a poster and when Basmanov asked him the way he did on the New Year's night whether he had any claims the official replied that there were "no claims to the picketer".

Author: Svetlana Kravchenko

Source: CK correspondent