Communist chief asks for probe into alleged police violence against lawmakers in Moscow
MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) - The leader of Russia's Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, said he had asked the interior minister for an investigation into an incident in Moscow on Friday in which police allegedly used violence against Communist lawmakers and tried to arrest them.
"Vladimir Rodin, a State Duma deputy representing the KPRF [Community Party], was defending people's right to honest elections in Moscow today, but instead he got truncheon blows. I have asked the interior minister, [Vladimir] Kolokoltsev, for an investigation into this fact," Zyuganov told reporters.
"The lawlessness began after the Supreme Court confirmed the right of our Moscow branch to hold a referendum. Nevertheless, the Moscow Election Commission refuses to do it and an attempt to organize a collective protest has come up against police truncheons," he said.
The planned referendum would be a vote on proposals for prohibiting rents for municipal housing and utility charges from being raised, for apartment buildings to undergo regular general renovation regardless of who owns them, and for the law "On the Universal Electronic Card" to be repealed.
The referendum initiative has been upheld by the Russian Supreme Court on three occasions, but the Moscow City Election Commission has been dragging its feet with organizing the plebiscite.
Rodin described Friday's incident in detail.
"Outside the mayor's office and Moscow City Duma today, a considerable number of police arrived suddenly and raided a meeting between deputies and voters. Eventually, physical attempts were made to push Alexander Potapov and myself, Vladimir Rodin, who are State Duma deputies, and also some Moscow City Duma deputies, into a car," Rodin said.
Forty minister later, "Yevgeny Barsukov, one of the police chiefs of the Central Area, arrived and apologized, and only after that were there commands to release us," the Communist said.
"I would like to ask for this incident to be investigated and to receive written explanations," said Zyuganov.
