Kozak names Khosta town as Olympic Protest Zone

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said today that Khosta town park will serve as a so-called “protest zone” during Winter Olympics. He also stressed that it’s prohibited to hold any meetings or demonstrations near Olympic venues.  

“At Khosta in the park people will be able to freely express their opinion without breaching the rights of other citizens and without breaching the Olympic charter. “At the sports arena, at the sports facilities, in compliance with the Olympic charter, expressing political opinions is forbidden”, RIA Novosti quoted Kozak as saying.

Kozak also reported that there have been no applications for holding rallies during Olympics yet. ‘We hope there will be none of this kind, as Olympics is not a political event’, he claimed.

Russia’s Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin has visited park in Khosta and said it was easy to access.

“It is situated halfway between Imeretin valley, where Olympic events will take place, and the centre of Sochi. It took me just 10-15 minutes to get there. It’s possible to travel there by car, by bus or on the train from the center of Sochi, or from the sports center,” ITAR-NASS quoted Lukin as saying.