15:00, 22 February 2013

Chechen parliament restricts rallies by designated places

The Chechen MPs have approved amendments to the Republic's Law "On the Order of Submitting Notifications about Holding Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations, Marches and Pickets".

Under the new rules, residents of the republic can now hold rallies and marches only in specially allocated places, a source from the press service of the Chechen Parliament told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The amendments were adopted unanimously.

"In fact, almost all actions, pickets and other activities, sanctioned by the authorities, are held in Grozny in the Journalists' Mini-Park, and in Peoples' Friendship Square, which is adjacent to the Mini-Park, and near the Mosque 'Heart of Chechnya'. An attempt to publicly express one's discontent with the current authorities can lead to very poor results," said one of local observers, who asked not to publish his name.

Author: Muslim Ibragimov, Alexander Ivanov

Source: CK correspondents