According to the head of the organization Anastasia Kochneva, organizers of Arkhangelsk civil forum planned for November 25, "Aetas" NGO, are refused to extend the lease of premises that they have been occupying for 17 years.
According to Kochneva, Public Ecological Organization "Aetas" now occupies the premises of the former school greenhouses, which it rents from the late 90's in the city Department of municipal property. Environmentalists repeatedly repaired it at their own expense; this summer, they re-covered roof that leaked.
The problems began after the prosecutor's office banned the organization to communicate with children because they have found a conviction of one of the founders "of indecent assault against a child". It is unclear why pedagogical activity is banned for the organization, rather than for one of the founders. Head of "Aethas" informed "7x7", that this founder was withdrew from the organization. However, in early November, it became known that director of the school number 36 does not want to continue to cooperate with the organization, located on the territory of its school, and municipal property department officially notified the ecologists that they have to leave their office by December 15. Formal cooperation with city authorities did not pay off; in the framework of the forum, organization wants to establish interaction of government, business and society.
'In my opinion, it's all about principal. She is dissatisfied with volunteers attending our office and she can not control us. But this is the work of the organization – people rely on it. She does not say why she needs our building. We assume that she can take it to the sublease. If you look at the condition of the school, you do not understand, where she would take the means to contain another building. We are evicted on the eve of the Year of Ecology, our events are in the list of regional activities of the Year of Ecology, we grow trees in your office to plant them in the city. We have no opportunity to find a new office now,' head of the organization complained.
Principal of the Arkhangelsk school number 36 Olga Kopteva refused to respond the questions of «7x7» correspondent, alleging her vacation.
Daniil Kuznetsov, «7x7»
