In Astrakhan, four persons detained at protest action in support of political hunger strike

Supporters of Oleg Shein, the member of the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) Party, the ex-candidate for the position of Mayor of Astrakhan, were detained by police in Astrakhan, when they were trying to lay a wreath to the building of the regional state-owned TV and Radio Company.

A group of 15 persons brought the wreath to the building of the TV Company. However, while approaching the entrance, the activists were met by the police cordon. Policemen warned the activists that, since the action was not sanctioned by the authorities, any attempt to conduct the action will be stopped. When the organizers got the wreath out of their car and tried to carry it past the policemen, some participants were detained, and the wreath was seized. According to one of the participants of the action, the detainees were brought to the police station.

According to Elena Grebenyuk, one of the participants of the action, "the matter was that, in fact, the "Lotos" TV Channel (Astrakhan branch of the VGTRK (All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company)) hardly highlighted the hunger strike."

"This is the state-owned TV Channel, and it should highlight all the moments that take place in the city, rather than just showing how someone planted a flower and painted a fence... Therefore, Astrakhan residents decided to make such "a funeral" of freedom of speech in Astrakhan," explained Elena Grebenyuk.

Pyotr Rusanov, the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in the Astrakhan Region, has confirmed that the participants of the protest action were brought to the police station, the "Interfax" reports.

The press service of the MIA's Astrakhan Department has explained that at present, the incident is under investigation, the final decision had not been made yet; however, the detainees could face administrative punishment for organizing and conducting public action in violation of the current legislation, the RIA "Novosti" reports.