Malovichko: civil society eradicated in Volgograd

The Department of Internal Affairs of Volgograd is purposefully liquidating the independent civil society, believes Irina Malovichko, president of the Volgograd Regional Charitable Public Organization (VRCPO) "Child's Dignity UNESCO Club" (CDUC), against whom a criminal case was initiated.

Law enforcement bodies find Ms Malovichko guilty of embezzlement of budgetary funds in the sum of 8584 roubles. The case was opened on May 30, 2008.

"Upon initiative of the UVD, certain regional media published 'asperse' articles about the harm of our activities. And then the investigation just blocked our work," Irina Malovichko said in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Our organization was not stopped, no official claims were moved against it, however, we can't get copies of current accounting documents, the president of the "UNESCO Club" asserts.

Ms Malovichko said that neither her organization, nor herself personally had recognized any guilt, and they had not been found as such by the court. As she said, the pretext for criminal prosecution was in some payment documents which, in the opinion of the inquiry, had been incorrectly filled in.

However, Irina Malovichko is sure that the actions of investigators have "attributes of arbitrariness and lawlessness." In her words, in the course of a search in her apartment, operative agents of the Volgograd UVD confiscated, without appropriate documentary registration, "in fact, stole" working documents (invitations to draw up visas, data on ticket reservation, etc.) and money in the sum of 64,400 roubles, which had been handed over to her against an act on May 27, 2008, by the head of the German Organization "Ost-West Trickster" within the International Partnership Project "Schoolchildren of Germany and Russia for Peace and Cultural Diversity".

"The money was intended to cover the expenses of a trip to Germany (Hamburg) of a group of 12 persons (10 children and 2 accompanying adults) within this partnership project, in particular, to buy return railway tickets Volgograd-Moscow," said Irina Malovichko.

She has also reported about the latest news in her criminal case. On December 1, Vice-President of the CDUC Tatiana Zagumennova was detained after interrogation and placed into a temporary isolation facility; she had been a witness in the criminal case. No grounds for detention were explained.

Ombudsman in the Volgograd Region Mikhail Tarantsov interfered into the matter, and Tatiana Zagumennova was released without any explanations of the reasons of detention.