They did not permit to build a tent camp in Kharkov

On 11 January at 13:00 representatives of the UNA-UNSO, Socialist party and party ’Sobor’ put up three tents on the Nezalezhnist Square in the framework of the campaign ’Ukraine without Kuchma’. Yet, after one hour the decision of the Dzerzinski district court was issued that prohibited to the UNA-UNSO the picketing and meeting. The UNA-UNSO members obeyed the order and put down their tent. But Volodymir Mukhin, an MP from the Socialist party, joined the action. He put up his tent, declaring that he, in the capacity of a deputy, opened a permanent post for agitation and that the needed the tent to keep documents. The Dzerzinski district court, considering the application of the city executive committee, postponed the sitting to 12 January. Yet, in the evening, at 23:45, several militiamen put down the tents and detained three members of the UNA-UNSO, who were in that place. The picketers did not resist. Next day the judge was at difficulty, since it was impossible to ban what already did not exist. Besides, he had to response to the complaints of the Socialist party members at illegal actions of law-enforcers. The decision was not reached, the trial was postponed to Monday. The socialists and the city department of the Ministry of Interior held separate press conferences on 12 January, where they explained their actions to journalists. The Kharkov Group for human rights protection reacted to the events with the declaration, whose text is given below.