3000 people gathered in support of Soltan Semyonov in Karachaevsk

On June 1, the city of Karachaevsk hosted a rally in support of its mayor Soltan Semyonov. Initially, an event to mark the Children's Day had been planned in the square in front of the city administration; however, it turned into a spontaneous rally in support of the mayor.

The action was initiated by the Board of Elders of the Karachay nation named "Ediny" (United); it was attended by about three thousand townspeople, as Enver Ardukhanov, one of the initiators, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The floor was given to delegations of almost all the localities of the Karachay Urban Region, and to speakers from educational, sporting, housing and municipal entities and structures. They expressed support to Soltan Semyonov and called on the republic's authorities "not to infringe the rights of residents" of Karachaevsk.

In particular, the speakers drew the attention of the authorities of Karachay-Cherkessia to under-funding of sporting and educational facilities in the district, as well as to the problem of gas supply in some localities. Almost all of them expressed disagreement with the criminal charges against the mayor of Karachaevsk of misuse of funds.