In Pyatigorsk, policeman bans Navalny supporters to spread leaflets

Actions in support of Alexei Navalny, a candidate for the Mayor of Moscow, who was sentenced today to five years in prison, were held in Stavropol and Pyatigorsk at the same time.

The action in Pyatigorsk was eight people strong, Mikhail Parshin, the regional coordinator of the environmental movement "Solar Patrol", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

When the protesters tried to hand out leaflets entitled "Who Navalny is, and why Putin is trying to put him in jail", to passers-by, a police Major ordered them to stop it.

"He didn't explain his reasons for the ban and whether we violated the law in general. He just banned it, being not ashamed of journalists with cameras present at the action," said Parshin.

The Stavropol action took place in Lenin Square near the building of the territorial government and brought together about 15 people.

Nika Kakobyan, the organizer of the protest and the regional coordinator of the movement "White Tape" handed out the same leaflets that were banned in Pyatigorsk for an hour before the action to passers-by.

After dissemination of leaflets, she came to Lenin Square, where she held the action jointly with civil society activists and members of the Parties "Yabloko" and "Civic Platform".

According to Kakobyan, the protesters did not say a word, but just came there to silently demonstrate their solidarity with Alexei Navalny.