Penza, 24 April 2015. PenzaNews. The head of the Department of Internal Policy and Mass Communications of the Penza region Alexander Elatontsev addressed PenzaNews agency with an official statement saying that the public event held by CPRF on April 22 to commemorate the 145th birthday of Vladimir Lenin were not agreed with the officials, which is a grave breach of the current legislation.

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

“The state and regional authorities of the Penza region made multiple requests to all political powers of the region to follow federal and regional laws on organizing and holding public events (marches, public rallies, protests, gatherings and pickets). We always followed the line that the norms of law are the same for all political powers and all should follow them. However, on April 22, 2015, a group of people led by the heads of CPRF city and region committees organized and held unsanctioned public events, thus committing a grave breach of the federal law No. 54-FL ‘On gatherings, meetings, demonstrations, marches and pickets,’ dated June 19 2004, and the Penza region law No. 2301-ZPO, titled ‘On submitting announcements on public events and places to hold public events in the Penza region,’ dated November 30 2012. The aforementioned public events were in violation with the law as they were held without a preliminary announcement or agreement with the regional authorities. The authorities and law enforcement forces made several verbal warnings to the organizers of the event, but they failed to listen and held the event, thus violating several norms of federal and regional law. Because of that, the law enforcement forces were obliged to follow the law and request the organizers to provide explanations and write protocols on administrative violations,” says the statement of the head of Internal Policy and Mass Communications Department of the Penza region.

It also says the Penza region officials regret the fact that certain political parties see themselves able to ignore and break the current laws.

“We are disappointed to see these people not only to stay unrepentant, but trying to accuse no themselves by the authorities, somewhy calling them Nazi supporters. We consider the use of such expressions in the Penza region that gave over 300,000 soldiers to the WWII frontlines to be a humiliation of the legacy of our fathers and grandfathers, especially in the wake of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory,” the document stresses.

“It is also unclear why those political powers [CPRF] had to conduct these illegal activities in the city of Penza in spite of the warnings from the law authorities. Once again, we would like to urge all political parties of the region to follow the federal and regional laws when organizing and holding public events, abstain from intentionally breaking the laws and stay away from political provocations. The law enforcement forces and regional government of the Penza region will continue maintaining all the measures to uphold law and order,” the statement says.