Valery Shchukin Celebrates New Year in Polatsk Railway Station :: Charter'97 :: News

The New Year-2004 the deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet Valery Shchukin celebrated in the Railway station in Polatsk. It was his 111th night in the railway station after he was left without registration and thrown out from Polatsk hostel.

On August 1 Polatsk authorities cancelled his registration and evicted Shchukin from the hostel, were he had been living for many years. As a protest the politician started to spend nights in the railway station. As said by Shchukin, he lives without a home for 156 days already, and 110 nights had been spent in the railway station. At first the administration made difficulties to him, he was accused of hooliganism, but now people got used to him and let him sleep on a bench. Mr. Shchukin has a little pillow, covers himself with a parka, and sometimes leaves boots in the left-luggage office.

Valer Shchukin has seven uncles, and naturally he wanted to celebrate the New Year together with the family. But it is a matter of principle for him to spend nights in the railway station in Polatsk. Shchukin wants to be a candidate at the parliamentary elections, but without registration he has scanty chances to be registered by an election commission.