Pensioner from Taganrog tells detention for flowers in Navalny's memory

In the city of Taganrog, policemen detained Valentin Padalko, a pensioner and Category II disabled person, when he brought flowers to the memorial plaque for victims of political repressions. According to Valentin's story, law enforcers behaved rudely, but released him with a warning.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 1, a farewell to Alexei Navalny and his funeral took place in Moscow. Human rights defenders reported detentions of Navalny's supporters, including in the cities of Astrakhan, Sochi and Vladikavkaz. According to Mikhail Bormotov, a Sochi resident, policemen grasped his flowers away and forced him to provide access to his phone, threatening him with freedom deprivation.

The 73-year-old Valentin Padalko said that on February 17, he came to a Navalny's spontaneous memorial created near the former NKVD (Interior Commissariat in Stalin's time) division, where there is a memorial plaque to victims of political repressions. After laying flowers, he was taken to the police station, the human rights project "OVD-Info"* has reported.

According to Mr Padalko, policemen spoke rudely to him; they took his fingerprints, and after a while released him with a warning.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.