Police made another provocation against YABLOKO’s collectors of signatures for registration of YABLOKO’s list at the Moscow City Duma election campaign. YABLOKO’s activists planed to collect signatures by the Planernaya metro station (North-West of Moscow). Hardly did they began their work when Leutenant Maxim Seleznyov of the Northern Tushino police department announced to them that they were detained for unsanctioned picketing and had to go to the police department with him.
The activists showed to the policeman a paper made by the party lawyers which explained with all due references to the laws the difference between picketing and collection of signatures, as well as why collection of signatures does not require any prior notifications or registrations with the authorities.
On reading the paper the policeman retorted that he was not going to pay attention to all these explanations. The activists told to Seleznyov that his actions were unlawful and could be regarded as hindering with YABLOKO’s participation in the election, after which Seleznyov left the “battle field”. YABLOKO also found out that Seleznyov was acting on the order of Major Anatoli Firsov known for his suppression of public actions against unlawful construction in the district in 2008.
Tomorrow, on August 21, YABLOKO’s activists are going to collect signatures at the key Moscow railway stations.
See also:
Elections to the Moscow City Duma, 2009 | 