In Gelendzhik, police release one of lezginka dancers

After a meeting of the delegation of Circassian activists with officials from the Gelendzhik authorities, law enforcers released one of two arrested lezginka dancers.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 13, YouTube published a video showing a detention of a man by policemen and Cossacks. The video is entitled "Cossacks and the police tie a lezginka dancer in Gelendzhik". According to eyewitnesses, the police detained four persons for dancing lezginka in the street. Meanwhile, a pepper spray was used in the course of the dancers' detention, and a female tourist was injured. During the detention of the dancers, the police claimed that "lezginka dancing was banned in the Krasnodar Territory," eyewitnesses said. On August 14, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported that the court found two lezginka dancers guilty of petty hooliganism and failure to obey to a lawful demand of the police and sentenced them to five days of arrest.

On August 14, in Gelendzhik, Circassian activists met officials from the authorities. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Azamat Soobtsokov, a member of the NGO "Adyge Khase" in the Takhtamukai District.

"We held talks with the local authorities, with the Krasnodar administration, until 8:00 p.m. By 0:00 a.m., one of two young men who remained at the police station was released. At present, only one of the Circassians involved in the conflict remained under arrest. He is sentenced to five days of arrest, and they expire in two days," the activist said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.