A court in central Russia has fined three local Communist Party activists 10,000 rubles ($150) each for laying flowers at a monument to Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, ruling they were guilty of organizing an unauthorized rally, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
The three activists from the Communist Party (KPRF) branch in the city of Penza were detained after they placed flowers at the monument to mark Lenin's birthday on April 22, the report said.
A local official in Penza, about 600 kilometers southeast of Moscow, has filed a complaint, Interfax reported.
“The functionary has decided that by their organized crossing of a road … the Communists were holding a march, while placing flowers near Lenin amounted to an unauthorized demonstration,” a KPRF spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Communist activists maintained they did not carry any banners or loudspeakers, and did not advance any political or social demands during their appearance at the monument, Interfax reported.
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