Private security company was engaged in evicting NGO from office - Moscow police department
MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - Police did not use force in evicting the staff of the non-governmental organization For Human Rights from its office, the Interior Ministry department for Moscow told Interfax.
"Police officers were deployed near the office to ensure public order after the Moscow city administration issued written notification on this measure. Police did not take any forcible measures, and the eviction was carried out by a private security company," it said.
A number of police officers are still deployed near the office to maintain public order, it said.
For Human Rights said earlier that security forces stormed its office in Maly Kislovsky Street in the early hours of Saturday and forced its staff members to leave it, claiming that the rent contract had expired. It said also that seven people were injured in the incident, including the organization's 72-year-old leader, Lev Ponomaryov, and Yabloko party leader and Moscow mayoral candidate Sergei Mitrokhin.
Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin described as arbitrary For Human Rights' eviction from its office. "We will discuss with lawyers how to react to what happened," Lukin told Interfax on Saturday.
"Moscow authorities and police denied me access to the scene, which is a gross violation of the federal constitutional law on human rights commissioner. I will bring up this issue, and I have yet to think how this should be done," Lukin said.
He said later that the Moscow city police chief apologized to him for what happened and promised to open an inquiry.