Action “Churov, it’s time for
you to have a shave!” lead to arrest of YABLOKO’s activists
Press Release
March 3, 2010
Today, on March 3, YABLOKO conducted a protest action against
withdrawal of YABLOKO’s lists of candidates from election
race in the Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions by the Central
Electoral Commission office. A large balloon filled with
helium took large scissors up to the window of the cabinet
of Vladimir Churov, head of the Central Electoral Commission.
“Do I have to swear by my beard that I shall do all I can
so that elections [in Russia] be honest? I swear!” said
Vladimir Churov, Chair of the Central Electoral Commission
during broadcasting at the REN TV channel on March 15, 2007.
Activists of the Youth YABLOKO’s reminded Vladimir Churov
of his oath. They also held a slogan by the Central Electoral
Commission office “Stop withdrawing us from elections!”
and demanded that Vladimir Churov should come down from
the office to them and answer the questions.
“We have not witnessed such a situation before when our
party could be withdrawn from elections in two regions simultaneously,”
YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin who also participated in
the action told to the journalists. “We have been patient
for a long time as we remembered Churov’s promise to guarantee
honest elections, however, now our patience is gone,” he
added.
It should be noted that the signatures collected in support
of YABLOKO’s lists in the Sverdlovsk and Kaluga regions
were announced “invalid” by regional electoral commissions
on factitious and unlawful pretexts. The Central Electoral
Commission left YABLOKO’s complaints without examination.
The Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions are the regions where
YABLOKO has always enjoyed considerable support of the electorate.
Vladimir Churov did not come down to YABLOKO’s activists,
then they raised the balloon with scissors to his window.
Several dozens police and security officers watched the
action and did not interfere until the end of the action.
However, when the action was finished, they circled four
young activists and took them to the police station. Sergei
Mitrokhin also followed his party-mates to the police station
and was arrested there.
The police without any explanations of the detention and
without raising any charges against them searched the activists
Andrei Koshman, Maxim Kruglov and Andrei Lazaryev confiscating
their mobile phones. After which the activists were put
behind bars. The police also attempted to confiscate mobile
phone from Sergei Mitrokhin. YABLOKO’s leader called this
“sheer lawlessness” explaining the actions of the police
were violating the law.
