Kazakh Communist Party Resents Lenin Statue Removal
October 30, 2009
TALDY-QORGHAN, Kazakhstan -- The Communist Party is protesting the dismantling of a monument to Vladimir Lenin in the southeastern Kazakh city of Taldy-Qorghan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
The 30-ton bronze monument to Lenin was removed from the city's Veterans' Park in the early morning on October 27.
Lyudmila Gulyak, chairwoman of Almaty's Communist Party branch, said local officials sanctioned the dismantling of the statue.
Gulyak told RFE/RL that they should have informed party representatives before removing it. She added that Communists are offended by the move because they held regular meetings near the monument.
Representatives of an Almaty center for the preservation of historical-cultural heritage said they are not responsible for the preservation of monuments to communist leaders.
Some Communist Party members filed a police report about the action. Meanwhile, local authorities have refused to comment on the dismantling of the monument.
Taldy-Qorghan is the administrative center of the Almaty region and has a population of about 118,000 people.