Brinikh: Imereti residents at risk to stay landless

In relation to the people, whose houses are within the construction zone of Olympiad-2014 objects, the authorities of Sochi are holding the tactics "by hook or by crook". Valery Brinikh, co-chairman of the board of the international NGO named "Social-Ecological Union", told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Mr Brinikh, the residents of the Imereti Valley, who happened to be inside the construction zone, are at risk to lose their ownership rights on land plots whatsoever, or their plots can be measured in the way profitable for the authorities.

"Apart from the fact that land evaluation is made in a strange manner, many people have no money to document land-surveying and make other documents. The authorities are officially suggesting them to document everything and set deadlines. However, last autumn the cost of the procedure at the Adler District Administration was over 200,000 roubles," said Valery Brinikh.

He has added that now, before the resort season, people have no money. If they fail to legalize all the papers, they are at risk to lose their land whatsoever.

According to Mr Brinikh, the people who dared protesting against this authorities' attitude, found themselves under pressure: "Almost every protester was taken to militia and fined or arrested for a fortnight."

As to land-surveying and prospecting works for construction of Olympic objects, the authorities are in fact violently enforcing them, as he said.

"The procedure is as follows: they come to an owner's yard, and if forbidden to enter, they rush to the court. The judge writes out a warrant on provisional measures and non-hampering the works; they return with this ruling in hand and take all the measurements. If people object, they have the service of court marshals. They enforce the ruling and keep people away," Valery Brinikh said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In the opinion of the citizens in question and human rights activists, the authorities commit roughest violations.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has failed to get any comments at the State Corporation "Olympstroj". The questions repeatedly sent last week by E-mail to different addresses remained unanswered. Larissa Golubchikova, press secretary of the Corporation would not answer calls to her mobile phone.