Alexander Kulikov: policemen exceeded their power in detention of Galina Tikhenko at rally in Volgograd

Alexander Kulikov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and Procedural Law, claimed that the policemen exceeded their power during the detention of pensioner Galina Tikhenko at the rally in Volgograd and that he intended to demand that the leaders of the Regional Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) should conduct official investigation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that pensioner Galina Tikhenko was detained on June 12 during the opposition rally in Volgograd, which was organized by the Regional Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). On September 6, the court found Galina Tikhenko guilty of an administrative violation; however, the court released the pensioner from administration responsibility and restricted the punishment to oral warning.

"The elderly woman, who decided to sincerely express her opinion in the form of campaign materials, became a scapegoat in that story. So, the situation is quite dramatic, and it highlights, to put mildly, a non-professional role of the policemen and, surprisingly, the Regional CPRF's Committee failed to do its best in the situation, since its representative was unable to understand the situation and to give clear explanations not to expose the CPRF's supporters to troubles and not to bring the situation to those proceedings," said Alexander Kulikov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and Procedural Law, the member of the Central Committee of the CPRF, who was present at the trial.

"Those things are inspired by the new legislation that dramatically restricts the rights of citizens to expression of their own opinion," Alexander Kulikov believes. He continues: "This is the fault of the deputies of the State Duma, the leaders of the country, who adopted the law 'On rallies'."

Alexander Kulikov has also noted he believes that the court made the right decision. However, he appealed to the leaders of the Chief Department of the MIA in the Volgograd Region, asking to conduct an official investigation into the detention of Galina Tikhenko. "I did not like the way the policemen treated the woman with disability," Alexander Kulikov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He continued: "In this case, the issues that were within the competence of the police were brutally solved. I believe that the policemen exceeded their power, and I will demand the punishment of the guilty persons."