MOSCOW, January 10 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow Sokolniki Park has assigned a venue for political rallies. The venue is situated at the place of the former ‘Green Theatre’, where a skate park was located last summer, but will be moved closer to the main entrance now. The venue for political debates on 2,070 square metres can admit about 2,000 people, the prefecture of the Eastern Administrative District of the Russian capital said on Thursday.
The structure of the venue is not determined yet, but the project is in the making, a source in the prefecture said.
The second venue for Moscow’s equivalent of Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park will be opened at the Gorky Park.
The law on the “Hyde Parks” in the Russian capital that the Moscow City Duma approved at the end of 2012 entered into force on January 7. According to this law, actions can be held at these specially assigned venues without any special notifications from 07:00 till 22:00 Moscow time. When holding meetings and rallies at the specially assigned venue it is banned to use any constructions and additional equipment, if their mounting and dismantling will require special works. So, stages and loud speakers cannot be installed in the Moscow “hyde parks.” The organizers of public events should inform the appropriate authorities about their intentions to hold an action at the specially assigned venue not later than three days before it.
Meanwhile, the same law sets additional requirements on picketing, particularly sole pickets, and specifies the procedure to calculate the maximum attendance level of meetings and rallies at the specially assigned venue.