MOSCOW, May 15 (RIA Novosti)
A Moscow district court (click here) ordered on Tuesday the closure of an opposition camp in downtown Moscow, accusing activists of littering and destroying the greenery in the area.
Police and the district prefecture were ordered to “end” the opposition activities by the monument to Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuli, also known as Abai Kunanbaev, on Chistoprudny Boulevard.
The court acted on a complaint from 12 residents of the neighborhood who accused the opposition of disrupting public order in the area.
Damage to lawns and shrubs in the area is estimated at 20 million rubles ($650,000), said Anton Kulbachevsky, the head of the City Hall’s environmental department.
Opposition activists pitched a camp at Abai’s feet on May 9 after two days of police crackdowns on protesters gathering on various squares in Moscow. The camp adopted the ironic slogan OccupyAbai, also a popular Twitter hash tag.
Organizers attempted to maintain discipline in the camp, cleaning litter and prohibiting alcohol. The camp was intended to stay in place until June 12, the Russia Day holiday when the opposition plans a new mass rally in Moscow....
