MOSCOW — Five activists attempting to stop the demolition of an old mansion in Moscow say they were severely beaten by private security guards, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports.
Yelena Tkach of the Moscow’s Defenders movement told RFE/RL the incident took place on Moscow’s Big Kozikhinsky Street.
She said police standing nearby did not make any effort to stop the construction company’s security personnel from attacking the five activists on July 27.
Tkach also said local residents blocked access to the building — one of several buildings in the area that was built in the middle of the 19th century — by parking their cars on the adjoining roads.
The Moscow’s Defenders movement has been actively trying to prevent construction companies from demolishing old buildings in Moscow.
Read more in Russian here