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YABLOKO began collection of signatures for registration of its list of candidates for the Moscow City Duma election.
However, collectors of signatures encountered hostile actions from the police. On July 30, two party activists were arrested by the Park Pobedi metro station and were detained in the local police office (Dorogomilovo) for several hours, after which the case of “administrative violation” was sent to court. The police also confiscated YABLOKO’s symbols – flags and coats, - as well as the signature lists. The police threatened YABLOKO’s activists with a penalty of RUR 2,000 and also told that they “have to pay even more” so that to return YABLOKO’s confiscated property.
The police also interfered with the work of collectors of signatures by other metro stations: 15 activists were detained by Pushkinskaya and Electrozavodskaya stations. One of the activists was taken to the local police department (Tverskoye) and spent several hours there, after which he was released without drawing a protocol.
Such arrests also went on today. Special police forces detained nine activists collecting signatures by the Kievskaya metro station. After interference of YABLOKO’s lawyer the activists were all released, however, the police ordered that the collectors should not use party symbols further.
YABLOKO is certain that such actions of the police are targeted at creation of obstacles for the party in conducting its election campaign which represents a violation of the election law, which does not contain any restriction referring to the use of party symbols and does not bind parties’ activists to report to the authorities on their intention to collect signatures.
Other photographs from collection of signatures see at the Moscow YABLOKO web-site.
See also:
Elections to the Moscow City Duma, 2009 | 