Brovkina claims illegal counteraction to her solo pickets for Sochi Mayor's resignation

Irina Brovkina, who is holding in Sochi a series of pickets demanding resignation of the city Mayor, said that she interrupted her action because of threats from the police.

On May 17, Irina Brovkina held a picket with collection of signatures with a demand of resignation of Anatoly Pakhomov, the Mayor. Another picket was held on May 21. The reason for the pickets was the Mayoralty's refusal to agree to the protest action in the square in front of the Mayoralty. Irina Brovkina announced her intention to hold solo pickets in the square at the Mayoralty, until she gets a permit to hold a 300-strong picket.

Another picket with a poster "Pakhomov! Resign! Collection of signatures" was held by Irina Brovkina on May 25. She told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that in the course of the picket policemen promised to handcuff her and take to the police station unless she voluntarily left the square in front of the administration.

"We'll put on handcuffs on you and bring to No. 60 Gorky Street", Irina Brovkina quotes the words of the policemen.

"I decided not to take risks, because I did not want to get to the police, stay there alone with illiterate policemen fulfilling illegal instructions of the authorities. I did not want to have an administrative case falsified against me; therefore, I folded my poster and turned away," said Irina Brovkina.

She believes that the policemen were personally instructed by the Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov, who saw her from his office window and who did not like the active campaign of collecting signatures for his resignation.

The Police Lieutenant Colonel Victor Biriuchenko, the head of the division of district policemen, has assured the correspondent that he gave no orders to detain Irina Brovkina.

"We know that she is standing there almost every day with the poster. It's her right. It's possible that someone from the administration of the city called the patrol unit, and the police must respond to calls and get into the matter," suggested Biriuchenko.