Authorities in the cities of the Moscow region have refused to allow supporters of politician Boris Nadezhdin to hold rallies for internet freedom and against the blocking of messengers, Nadezhdin himself reported, according to LETA citing Meduza.
Nadezhdin reported that he and his supporters submitted applications to hold rallies in the five largest cities of the Moscow region — Krasnogorsk, Khimki, Dolgoprudny, Mytishchi, and Korolyov. The events were planned for March 29, but all cities rejected the applications.
"In all cities of the Moscow region, permission has been denied for rallies against the blocking of the internet and messengers. All responses are the same and seem mocking. You are not allowed due to 'Covid,'" Nadezhdin stated. As an example, he published the response from the administration of the Mytishchi urban district, which indicated that a governor's order from March 12, 2020, prohibiting mass events due to the spread of the coronavirus is still in effect in the Moscow region.
"Look at the official channels of local administrations and the 'United Russia' party — they are full of photos from mass events. Holidays, concerts, meetings with deputies, off-site sessions, and rallies are taking place in the same manner as before the pandemic," Nadezhdin noted.
On March 15, a rally against the blocking of the internet was planned in Perm. The city administration initially approved the event, but two hours before its start, the permission was revoked, citing a "possible emergency situation." Two people were detained near the event location. One of them, 80-year-old activist Viktor Gilin, was fined 20,000 rubles and found guilty of organizing an unauthorized event.
In Moscow, activists from the Telegram channel "Scarlet Swan" submitted an application to hold a rally against the blocking of the internet, but the authorities refused to approve it, citing the "epidemiological situation."
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