The courts have upheld the ban on a protest in Gorno-Altaysk, a regional capital in southern Siberia, against the municipal reform.

The courts of both first and second instances have ruled that the refusal by the Gorno-Altaysk authorities to approve a mass protest against municipal reform on 12 July was lawful, activist Aruna Arna announced. The media outlet “7×7” drew attention to her post.

According to Arna, on the morning of 11 July, the Gorno-Altaysk City Court considered an appeal against the authorities’ decision and rejected it. That same afternoon, an appeal hearing was held in the Supreme Court of the Altai Republic, which upheld the city court’s decision.

The Gorno-Altaysk authorities refused to authorise the protest “due to emergency repairs by the power grid company and acaricidal treatment of the area.”

“By law, the authorities should have proposed either another location or a different date, but that was not done,” said Arna.

Vasilii Kudirmekov, chair of the “Kurultai of the Altai People” movement, reported that the city administration also refused to authorise a protest on 20 July. Officials explained this refusal by the preparations for the International Environmental Conference, to be held in the region from 24 to 26 July.

Residents of the republic are protesting against the destruction of local self-government. In June, at least seven people were arrested over participation in a rally opposing this reform and charged with holding an unauthorised event (Art. 20.2 of the Administrative Code). Three local residents, including former Altai State Assembly deputy Leonid Kazantsev, were charged under the same article after recording a video address to Altai head Andrei Turchak demanding the preservation of local self-government. In addition, Aruna Arna herself was charged with misuse of media freedom (Part 10 Art. 13.15 of the Administrative Code) for reposts criticising this same reform.