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Press Releases 2010
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| December 29,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
reported on its performance in 2010
Press Release, December 29,
2010
...The report contains 23 large-scale
successes by YABLOKO both on the federal and the regional
level. However, the list will be continued, as not
all the regional branches have reported to the federal
office yet. Due to YABLOKO’s
efforts the Russian Government adopted several resolutions
on transparency of natural monopolies, Presidential
Administration initiated formation of commissions
for anti-corruption audits of deputies and senators
of the Russian parliament, and the State Duma introduced
amendments into the law on the police and the law
on secret services limiting arbitrary rule of these
orgisations. In St.Petersburg
the party managed to obtain a prohibition on construction
of a skyscraper in the city centre by Gazprom. In
Moscow YABLOKO stopped demolition of the Rechnik village
and construction of garbage treatment plants in the
city. In Ekaterinburg, Tula and the Republic of Mordovia
YABLOKO managed to oust corrupted officials from the
office...
|
| December 28,
2010 |
| YABLOKO's
leaders on the guilty verdict to Mikhail Khodorkovsky
and Platon Lebedev
Press Release, December 27,
2010
One of the leaders of the oppositional
YABLOKO party Sergei Ivanenko gave the following commentaty
to the Interfax agency on the guilty verdict to Mikhail
Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. “The guilty
verdict is logical for the system we have in Russia
at present”. “This
verdict demonstrates that there are no discrepancies
in the ruling tandem. The bureaucratic, authoritarian
and punitive system is maintained in our country,”
said Ivanenko. “The Khodorkovsky
case is not only a political case, it shows that the
discrepancy between the reality and the decisions
made by the authorities has become increasingly obvious
to most of the people,” he added.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
told Interfax, "It looks like the verdict will
be obviously unjust. Any guilt on such a charge is
absurd in itself. It is unclear how YUKOS could steal
oil from itself". "The
first sentence Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev
have been serving demonstrated some attempt to display
at least a facade of justice, however, this was completely
abolished in the second trial. It has already turned
from selective application of justice into a means
of reprisal,” Mitrokhin noted. |
| YABLOKO
supports the decision to dismiss Mayor of Sergiyev
Posad, the Moscow Region
Press Release, December 23,
2010
On December 23, 2010, the Council
of Deputies of Sergyev Posad, the Moscow region, dismissed
Mayor of the city Nikalai Maslov from his post. The
decision was adopted by a majority of votes. Sergei
Kryzhov, YABLOKO’s representative in the Council,
also voted for this decision. According to Kryzhov,
Maslov, who was elected Mayor about a year ago at
non-alternative elections (Kryzhov was dismissed from
election campaign four days before the election) conducted
irresponsible policies. This resulted in a situation
when all the political forces in the city, the ruling
United Russia inclusive, refused him of their support...
|
| December 27,
2010 |
| Vice
speaker of the Kaliningrad regional parliament to
top YABLOKO’s list at the forthcoming regional
elections
Press Release, December 27,
2010
Vladimir Vukulov, Vice Speaker of
the Kaliningrad Region Duma (regional parliament),
and present deputy of the regional parliament Alexander
Shatskikh joined the YABLOKO party and topped the
party list at the regional parliamentary elections
that will take place in March 2011. The third top
person in the list is Oleg Konshin, member of Kaliningrad
Region Electoral Commission. Vukulov and Shatskikh
have not belong to any political party, but were members
of the Elder Generation organization and were also
deputies of the United Russia faction in the Kaliningrad
Region Duma...
|
| December 24,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
conducted an action “A Happy New Year –
a Year of a Fat Cat”
Press Release, December 23,
2010
On December 23 YABLOKO conducted an
action against raising of tariffs in the monopolized
housing and utilities sector. The action took place
in the center of Moscow and was conducted in a form
of children’s Christmas matinee under a slogan
“A Happy New Year – a Year of a Fat
Cat” (2011 is a year of the Cat according to
the oriental calendar which is popular in Russia).
“We would like to draw
attention to the fact that our people once again received
a new year “present” from the Russian
Government, the
parliament and all the monopolists from Gazprom an
energy sector companies to regional municipal monopolies.
They raised tariffs by 20 per cent almost on all the
services: on utilities, electricity, gas, water and
transportation,” Sergei Mitrokhin told to journalists. |
| December 21,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
conducted an action for peace between nations and
ethnic groups
Press Release, December 20,
2010
Picket for peace between nations and
ethnic groups was conducted in the centre of Moscow
on December 20. The action was organised by the YABLOKO
party in protest against multiethnic clashes in Moscow.
The participants of the actions held placards “Let’s
Preserve Peace between Nations!”, “Russia
is a Homeland for 182 Ethnic Groups!”, “Let’s
Stop Violence!”, “Feebleness of the Government
[in opposing ethnic hatred] Leads to Public Violence!”,
“Feud between Nations Leads to Russia’s
Collapse!” The activists were joined by passer-bys.
Despite of their true ethnic background, the activists
held signs with the names of the Northern Caucasus
nationalities and ethnic groups: “I am an Ossetian”,
“I am a Darginian”, “I am a Lezginian”,
etc. Police attempted to stop the action... |
| December 17,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
conducted a memorial action paying tribute to murdered
journalists
Press Release, December 15,
2010
On Wednesday, December 15, on the
Journalists Memorial Day, the YABLOKO party conducted
a memorial action paying tribute to murdered journalists.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin and head of
YABLOKO’s Gender faction Galina Mikhalyova also
participated in the picketing.
The action took place by the Griboyedov monument at
Chistiye Prudy. YABLOKO’s activists held photographs
of murdered journalists with the dates when they were
killed and placards “Univestogated murders =
a disgrace for the state!” and “No one
brought to account?” showing that the murders
have been still uninvestigated. The murderers of P.Khlebnikov
(The Forbes), I.Domnikov, Yu.Schekochikhin, A.Politkovskaya
(Novaya Gazeta), A.Sidorov, V.Ivanov (Toliattinskoye
Obozreniye) E.Markevich (Noviy Ref), Ya.Yaroshenko
(Korruptzia I Prestupnost), V.Krivosheyev (Komsomolskaya
Pravda, Lipetsk), Larissa Yudina (Sovietskaya Kalmykia)
and many other have not been found...
|
| December 16,
2010 |
| Nationalism
will not work!
Statement by the Regional Council of the Moscow branch
of YABLOKO, December 16, 2010
The regional branch of the YABLOKO
party in Moscow states that large-scale nationalist
clashes in the capital be a serious threat to the
country's existence. We consider the authorities'
actions against the organisers and the participants
of the clashes be inadequate to threat they pose...
An explanation lies either in extremely
low professionalism of the police heads or their sympathy
for the nationalists and their slogans, or even in
both the reasons. If the authorities do not file criminal
cases on "inciting of ethnic hatred" and
"organisation of mass disorders", then there
are grounds to speak about the collusion of the authorities
and the nationalists. The authorities
often see the nationalists as their allies. We are
confident that among those who were engaged in the
clashes in the center of Moscow there were representatives
of nationalistically minded groups of football fans
who attacked the defenders of Khimki forest. We know
about the connection between these groups with pro-Kremlin
youth movements, their creators and tutors...
|
| On
political reprisals in Krasnodar
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
December 12, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO condemns unlawful actions by the police in
breaking a peaceful demonstration in protection of
nature which took place in Krasnodar on December 12,
the Russian Constitution Day.
On the order of Administration of
the Krasnodar Area the police detained members of
[YABLOKO’s] Green Russia faction Andrei Rudomakha
and Suren Gazaryan and environmental activists Dmitry
Shevchenko and Dmitry Shabalin. The detention was
conducted with grave violations of the law “On Police”,
with the use of physical force and special means [of
suppression]. Shevchenko and Gazaryan were unlawfully
detained in the police department of Krasnodar for
three hours until arrival of a lawyer and YABLOKO’s
leader there. All this time Gazaryan was unlawfully
held in handcuffs. Earlier on December 5, Rudomakha
and Gazaryan had been also unlawfully detained by
police during a peaceful march for protection of the
Utrish [natural reserve]...
|
| Krasnodar:
police breaks a permitted demonstration, environmentalists
detained
Press Release, December 12,
2010
...About 300 people participated in
the demonstration under YABLOKO’s flags. The
demonstrators held slogans “Utrish should live!”
“Yes to the Utrish natural reserve!” “Utirish
is a world heritage!” “President’s
place is in the Kremlin, leave Utrish for the country!”However,
the police broke the peaceful demonstration considering
the demonstration unlawful despite of the fact that
YABLOKO had timely notified the administration of
the action. Later during a rally the police detained
members of YABLOKO’s Green Russia faction Andrei
Rudomakha and Suren Gazaryan and environmental activists
Dmitry Shevchenko and Dmitry Shabalin. The detention
was conducted with grave violations of the law “On
Police”, with the use of physical force and
special means [of suppression]...
|
| December 14,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
to conduct a memorial action paying tribute to murdered
journalists
Press Release, December 14,
2010
On Wednesday, December 15, the YABLOKO
party will conduct a memorial action paying tribute
to murdered journalists. The picket will take place
on the Journalists Memorial Day devoted to journalists
who were killed in the line of their duty and conducted
by the Russian Journalists’ Union. The action
will take place by the Griboyedov monument at Chiastiye
Prudy. YABLOKO’s activists will hold photographs
of murdered journalists with the dates when they were
killed. The activists will also hold a banner with
a question “No one brought to account?”
against a background of photos of the journalists
whose murders have been still uninvestigated. Thus
the murderers of P.Khlebnikov (The Forbes), I.Domnikov,
Yu.Schekochikhin, A.Politkovskaya (Novaya Gazeta),
A.Sidorov, V.Ivanov (Toliattinskoye Obozreniye) E.Markevich
(Noviy Ref), Ya.Yaroshenko (Korruptzia I Prestupnost),
V.Krivosheyev (Komsomolskaya Pravda, Lipetsk), Larissa
Yudina (Sovietskaya Kalmykia) and many other. The
activists will light candles in memory of the killed
journalists... |
| YABLOKO
starts work on updating of its programme
Press Release, December 10,
2010
A meeting of the working group created
by the YABLOKO party for updating of the party programme
took place on December 9-10. Heads of YABLOKO’s branches
from Tumen, Saratov, Ekaterinburg, representatives
from regional branches from Moscow, St.Petersburg
and the Moscow region participated in the meeting...
The working group formulated the
key approaches to the new electoral platform and updating
of YABLOKO’s programme called “Democratic Manifesto”.
The New Political Course adopted recently by the Political
Committee and the Federal Council of the party will
become one of the basic elements of the new programme.
A special discussion was opened on the anti-crisis
programme “Housing. Land. Roads” proposed by YABLOKO’s
founder Dr.Grigory Yavlinsky. Grigory Yavlinsky also
joined the working group...
|
| December 9, 2010 |
| Russia
needs deeds, not words, to resolve environmental problems
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
December 9, 2010
In his Address to the Federal Assembly
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed that the
quality of the environment should become one of the
key parameters for socio-economic development. Unfortunately,
the President’s words are contradict by the
ongoing environmentally unsound policies of the Russian
state: the law on the state budget signed by the President
envisaged expenditure on environmental protection
that is 100 times less than is the case in countries,
which are really concerned about the environment...
|
| A
highway via Khimki Forest does not resolve the transport
problems of Moscow region
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
December 9, 2010
Today the authorities may bring to
an end the public discussions on the route of the
new Moscow-St Petersburg highway: the highway will
based based on its original route, which envisages
the elimination of Khimki Forest.
The “additional public and expert
discussions”, which should have been held on
the instructions of the President to the Prime Minister,
turned out to be nothing more than a fiction.
The authorities did not issue any
assessments on the alternative routes of the highway.
We believe that an expansion in the Leningradskoye
highway in the area of the City of Khimki to be the
most efficient project here.
In violation of the law, a reserve
way of the Leningradskoye highway was built with shopping
centres in the 1990s and 2000s...
|
| YABLOKO
leadership meets the leaders of the All-Russia Confederation
of Labour
Press Release, December 7,
2010
On the initiative of the All-Russia
Confederation of Labour, a meeting was held between
YABLOKO’s leadership and the leaders of the
confederation, which is the most representative Russian
trade union association that is not part of the Federation
of Independent Trade Unions of Russia. Leader leader
of YABLOKO party Sergei Mitrokhin, coordinator of
the Political Committee of the Party Boris Misnik,
head of the general fraction Galina Mikhaleva, co-chairman
of the social democratic fraction and member of the
bureau of the Party Anatoly Golov, representatives
of the confederation and members of the Executive
Committee of the All-Russia Confederation of Labour
attended the meeting, which discussed violations of
the rights of employees and trade unions...
|
| December 8, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
calls on journalists to visit the Utrish nature reserve
that has been threatened with destruction
Press Release, December 8,
2010
On Monday, 13 December, YABLOKO leader
Sergei Mitrokhin will visit Anapa and the Big Utrish
reserve located near the city. YABLOKO calls on journalists
to join him and visit this unique territory, which
is threatened with total destruction, owing to the
planned construction of a state residence and highway.
The Big Utrish reserve was created to protect unique
relict landscapes and juniper-pistachio forests, and
also the habitats of rare species of animals and plants.
This is one of the most significant protected natural
territories of Russia. The territory's reserve named
Novorossiya was recognised as one of the global centres
for plant diversity. This year the Russian Government
issued a decision to establish the Utrish reserve
here...
|
| Ecologist
Andrei Rudomakha becomes laureate of The Best Civil
Action contest
Press Release, December 8,
2010
Head of Ecological Watch in the Northern
Caucasus and member of the YABLOKO party Andrei Rudomakha
was chosen a winner of The Best Civil Action contest.
The ecologist was awarded the prize by the jury for
organisation of the public campaign for protection
of the Utrish natural reserve. The contest was organised
by the Law and Justice foundation. From December 2009
through to April 2010 four waves of actions in protection
of Utrish were conducted. The actions embraced over
70 cities in Russia and Ukraine. In Russia the actions
were held from Kaliningrad in the West to Khabarovsk
in the East, Murmansk in the North and Sochi and Vladikavkaz
in the South...
|
| December 7, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
welcomes Germany’s decision not to send its
nuclear waste to Russia
Press Release, December 7,
2010
“We welcome the decision of the
German government not to export spent nuclear fuel
from Saxony to Russia. We think that the German government
has demonstrated a responsible approach in the solution
of this problem,” stated YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin.
On Monday, December 6, Nobert Roettgen,
German Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation
and Nuclear Safety, announced that Germany had revoked
its decision to export spent nuclear fuel from Saxony
to the Mayak plant in the Urals due to the absence
of conditions for safe treatment of nuclear waste
in Russia... |
| December 6, 2010 |
| Police
detained YABLOKO's activists during the action in
defence of the national park
Press Release, December 5,
2010
On December 5, an unsanctioned march
against elimination by the authorities of the Utrish
national park took place in Krasnodar. The General
Affairs Department of Presidential Administration
plans to build a recreation complex in the national
park.The police detained YABLOKO’s activist
Andrei Rudomakha, organizer of the march in defence
of the Utrish national park and head of the Ecological
Watch in the Northern Caucasus, and YABLOKO’s
activist Suren Gazaryan.
The activists were taken to the medical
expertise first under the pretext that they were drunk.
However, the expertise did not confirm this. Despite
of this both the activists had to spend a night in
the police department. Gazaryan is facing 15 days
of arrest for “non-obeying the lawful demands”.
Rudomakha is accused of organizing an unsanctioned
action...
|
| December 3, 2010 |
| The
Eurasia Canal will threat Russia’s national security
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
December 3, 2010
Recently, President of Russia Dmitry
Medvedev announced that "technical and economic
evaluation of the project envisaging construction
of a new navigation canal between the Caspian Sea
and the Azov and Black Sea basin" is under way.
The Kremlin has decided to reanimate the project of
the Kuma-Manych waterway which was abolished in Stalin's
time. It is obvious that 450 - 600 billion rubles
which will be allotted for construction of a Eurasia
canal will lead to the following consequences...
|
| On
the World AIDS Day the YABLOKO party participated
in the Red Ribbon action
Vesti-Moscow television programme,
December 2, 2010
On December 1, the World AIDS Day the
YABLOKO party participated in the Red Ribbon international
action. For several hours party activists were distributing
information leaflets and red ribbons – the symbols
of fight against the HIV virus – by Moscow universities
and YABLOKO’s Moscow office. YABLOKO believes
that the state should apply maximum effort so that
people with AIDS would get the required aid and the
society would stop treating them as outcasts.
“The state should restore order
here. It should extend a helping hand to the sick
people and provide them treatment. All the mobbing
which such people often have to confront should be
stopped”, said Sergei Mitrokhin, Chairman of
the YABLOKO party... |
| Leader
of St.Petersburg YABLOKO welcomes proposal by Governor
Valentina Matviyenko to search for a new site for
construction of Gazprom’s skyscraper
Press Release, December 3,
2010
Leader of St.Petersburg YABLOKO welcomed
the proposal by St.Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko
to search for a new site for construction of Gazprom’s
skyscraper. According to Reznik, such a decision by
the Governor results from long-term fight by the defenders
of the historical centre of the city and the dialogue
between the Governor and architects and historians
with has finally begun...
|
| November 30,
2010 |
| On
the court judgment on Vladimir Timakov libel case
Statement by the Chairman
of the Tula YABLOKO, November 30, 2010
Yesterday night Tula Court passed
a judgment which proclaimed deputy of the Tula City
Duma from the YABLOKO party journalist Vladimir Timakov
guilty of libel against Governor of the Tula region.
Such a judgment on Timakov was
made as he had laid the blame for the growth of corruption
in the Tula region on Governor Dudka as the top official
of the region. Timakov had explained his opinion by
growth of corruption cases against top regional and
municipal officials.
The court of the first instance had
already obliged Vladimir Timakov to pay to the Governor
RUR 1.5 million (approx. USD 500,000) as a compensation
of moral damage. Unfortunately yesterday’s decision
of the judge did not come as a surprise. The Tula
regional branch of YABLOKO considers the guilty verdict
[against Timakov] as another confirmation that independent
judicial system is lacking in Russia and in the Tula
region in particular...
|
| On
the death of poet Bella Akhmadullina
Condolences, November 30,
2010
The death of Bella Akhmadullina is
a grave event not only in our literature, but also
in our public life. Having a pure and unique voice
inherent in a real poet she was one the persons who
could be called the conscience of the nation, notwithstanding
her elitism and individualism. The feeling of freedom
distinguished her lyrics, as well as made her flawless
in the civil sense.
We share the grief of the family and
friends of Bella Akhmadullina.
Sincerely,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party
|
| November 29,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
to propose amendments to the draft law “On Education”
Press Release, November 29,
2010
Alexander Gnezdilov, YABLOKO’s
representative in the Youth Chamber with the Moscow
City Duma, will introduce 11 amendments to the draft
law “On Education” which will be examined
by the Chamber on Tuesday, November 30. Alexander
Shishlov, member of YABLOKO’s Bureau and head
of the State Duma Education Committee in 2002 –
2003, and Eugeny Bunimovich, deputy head of the Moscow
YABLOKO, an honoured teacher of Russia and Ombudsman
for Children’s Rights in Moscow, participated
in the development of these amendments...
|
| November 26,
2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
leader made a speech at the doctors’ congress
Press Release, November 26,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
made a speech at the Pirogov Doctors’ Congress
which is taking place in Moscow today. In the beginning
of his speech Sergei Mitrokhin expressed his indignation
that officials from the Ministry of Healthcare neglected
this representative doctors’ meeting. “It
seems to me that this is the most eloquent testimony
that the management of our healthcare system is unprofessional,”
Mitrokhin said.
Sergei Mitrokhin also reiterated that
the YABLOKO party had already begun active cooperation
with the Russian Medical Association (RMA) headed
by Dr.Ashot Sarkisyan...
|
| YABLOKO
conducted an action against violence against women
Press Release, November 25,
2010
On November 25, an action against
violence against women took place in the Pushkin Square,
Moscow. The action is held in the UN decade The 16
Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. This an
annual action held under the auspices of the United
Nations...
The action was held under the slogans “Husbands,
do not beat your wives!”, “No to family
violence!”, “Women, raise your heads!”
According to the participants of the action, 14,000
women die annually due to family violence. These figures
commensurate with Russia’s losses for the ten
years of war in Afghanistan...
|
| YABLOKO
participates in a rally in defence of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
and Platon Lebedev
Press Release, November 26,
2010
A rally in defence of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
and Platon Lebedev took place in Tomsk last Friday,
November 20. The Tomsk branch of the YABLOKO party
participated in the rally.
Over 100 people, including YABLOKO’s
activists, participated in the rally. YABLOKO’s
activists spread the statements by YABLOKO’s
Political Council calling the present political regime
authoritarian and suppressing the rights of every
Russian citizen.
|
| November 24,
2010 |
| An
action against violence against women to take place
in Moscow
Press Release, November 24,
2010
Tomorrow, on November 25, an action
against violence against women will take place in
the Pushkin Square, Moscow. The action is held in
the UN decade The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender
Violence. This an annual action held under the auspices
of the United Nations.
Activists from YABLOKO’s Gender
faction and its leader Galina Mikhalyova, the Council
for Consolidation of Women’s Movement, representatives
from the Feministki.ru initiative group and other
people who feel they can not stay indifferent to the
problem will participate in the action...
|
| November 23,
2010 |
| A
discussion club to open in YABLOKO
Press Release, November 23,
2010
A youth discussion club will open
in YABLOKO on Friday, November 26, at 7 p.m.
At the first meeting of the club the
activists will discuss the strategies of housing construction
and YABLOKO’s programme “Houses. Land.
Roads”.
Address: ul. Lyudogoscha 3, office
34.
|
| November 22,
2010 |
| A
roundtable discussion on the pension system to be
held in YABLOKO
Press Release, November 22,
2010
A roundtable discussion on the pension
system will be held in the YABLOKO office at Pyatnistskaya
street in Moscow on
Thursday, November 25, at 6 p.m...
|
| YABLOKO
leaves the rally protesting against participation
of nationalists
Press Release, November 21,
2010
The YABLOKO party left the rally against
arbitrary rule during trails against journalists and
human rights activists protesting against participation
in the rally of the ultra-right Russkiy Obraz (The
Russian Image) organisation that came to the rally
bearing their flags. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
proposed to the representative of nationalists a compromise
– to participate in the rally without their nationalistic
symbols but the latter refused. After this YABLOKO
including activists from the Tula branch of YABLOKO,
the Moscow YABLOKO and Sergei Mitrokhin, left the
Pushkin Square.
The activists of the Tula branch of
YABLOKO specially came to Moscow so that to tell about
criminal persecutions against Vladimir Timakov, deputy
of the Tula Regional Duma (regional parliament) from
the YABLOKO faction , for alleged “libel” against
Governor of the Tula Region Vuacheslav Dudka. In accordance
with Article 129 of the Criminal Code Timakov faces
three years of imprisonment for his criticism of the
Governor...
|
| Sergei
Mitrokhin proposed to begin introduction of a visa-free
regime between Russia and EU from Russia’s exclave
- the Kaliningrad region
Press Release, November 20,
2010
Chair of the YABLOKO party Sergei
Mitrokhin and leader of YABLOKO’s Pensioners
of Russia faction Alexei Borschenko visited the conference
of the Kaliningrad branch of YABLOKO. The conference
discussed the regional list for elections to the regional
parliament (regional Duma), that will take place in
March 2011. In his speech at the conference Mitrokhin
told about the activities of the party targeted at
solving the problems of the residents of the Kaliningrad
region. According to Mitrokhin, one of the key directions
here would be introduction a visa-free regime with
the EU member countries...
|
| November 17,
2010 |
| Against
corruption in the nuclear sector and turning Russia
into a world’s nuclear waste dump
Statement by the Federal Council
of the YABLOKO party, November 17, 2010
The YABLOKO party considers the adoption
of the law “On Radioactive Waste Management”
developed by Rosatom (Russian Atomic Ministry) absolutely
unacceptable. We believe that the proposed wording
the law makes it corruption prone, as well as creates
additional conditions for the mass-scale imports of
foreign radioactive waste into Russia for their burial...
|
| November 15,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
is the most popular political party in Tula according
to an Internet poll
Press Release, November 15,
2010
If parliamentary elections were taking
place in the nearest time, 23.54 per cent of visitors
of one of the most popular news web portals of the
regions – Tula News – say they would vote
for YABLOKO...
|
| Civil
Women’s Forum held in Moscow
Press Release, November 14,
2010
On November 12-14 Civil Women’s
Forum was held in Moscow within the framework of the
1st International Women’s Festival “Femme
Fest”. The Forum was organised by the Council
for Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia.
The Council offered to the public
– representatives of non-profit organisations
and state power bodies, journalists, academics and
activists from different Russia’s regions –
Women’s Post-Partisan Platform setting forth
a number of specific demands connected with provision
of representation of women in the bodies of power
of all the levels, possibility to control adoption
of political decisions via participation in the councils
of power bodies, as well as a socially oriented federal
budget.
The Forum also discussed the problems
of combining family and carrier, traditional and new
form of marriage and financial stability of families... |
| November 14,
2010 |
| 500
people came to a rally against political terror in
Moscow
Press Release, November 14,
2010
About 500 people came to a rally against
political terror which took place in Moscow today,
despite of the fact that only 300 people were allowed
for the rally by the authorities. The rally was initiated
by the YABLOKO party, the Movement for Protection
of the Khimki Forest and a number of other public
organisations. The action was conducted on the second
anniversary of attack on Mikhail Beketov, Editor-in-Chief
of the Khimki Pravda paper, who was left handicapped
due to grave injuries. The participants of the rally
also paid tribute to other journalists and public
activists – victims of “political bandits”...
|
| November 13,
2010 |
| Liberal
International discussed political banditism in Russia
Press Release, November 13,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
made a report on situation in Russia at the meeting
of Liberal International Executive Committee which
is taking place in Cape Town, South African Republic.
Mitrokhin began his report with bad
news. He told about an attack on civil activist Konstantin
Fetisov and journalist Oleg Kashin. “Such crimes
become more frequent, as they go unpunished,”
stressed YABLOKO’s leader.
According to Mitrokhin, “in
words Russian leaders advocate the rule of law and
democracy. But their deeds strikingly differ from
their declarations”. “The Russian authorities
are unable to ensure implementation of laws in the
country. But they widely practice arbitrary use of
law as an instrument for protection of their political
and economic interests,” he noted.
Regional elections are falsified,
which demonstrates insecurity of the ruling party’s
position. “High popularity ratings of Putin
and Medvedev and very low rates of public trust to
the state and public institutes demonstrate instability
of our political system,” Mitrokhin said... |
| Radioactive
waste should not get into Russia
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
November 12, 2010
The YABLOKO party considers the practices
of enrichment of uranium tailings in the territory
of Russia dangerous and morally unacceptable. We are
against the plans of transferring spent nuclear fuel
from the German Centre for Nuclear Research in Rossendorf
to Russia. Transfer of the spent fuel to Russia, where
its storage and recycling is accompanied by radioactive
emissions is dangerous, and we do not want Russia
to turn into an international nuclear dump. There
are no guarantees of security during transportation
of spent nuclear fuel because of the quality of infrastructure,
the danger of terrorism and high level of corruption
in the country...
|
| November 11,
2010 |
| YABLOKO's
Federal Council adopts a New Course
Press Release, November 9,
2010
YABLOKO’s Federal Council meeting
took place on November 5-6, 2010. The Federal Council
is YABLOKO’s representative body and comprises
about 170 people...
...In the document entitled “On
the New Political Course” the Federal Council
states the YABLOKO “considers qualitative evolutionary
changes in Russia’s political and economic system
by the key political task”. “We are reaffirming
our the commitment to the principles and objectives
stated in the Programme of the YABLOKO party - the
Democratic manifesto. Construction of a modern democratic
welfare state of the European type which would expresses
the interests of the civil society and be controlled
by it is the only possible way of Russia’s development.
There is no other strategy for preservation and development
of Russia,” runs the document...
|
| YABLOKO
to conduct an action in support of human rights activists
and journalists in Ekaterinburg
Press Release, November 11,
2010
On Sunday, November 14, YABLOKO will
hold a rally by the office of the ruling United Russia
party in Ekaterinburg. The action will take place
on the anniversary of the attack on Mikhail Beketov,
Editor-in-Chief of the Khimkinskaya Pravda newspaper,
and will be dedicated to all civil activists and journalists
- victims of attacks and assaults...
"I believe that it is the ruling
party, represented by its youth organisations, which
has been fueling the fire of a deadly feud, fascism,
and search of enemies in their country. I think that
what we see today is just a consequence of this policy.
I believe that violence can be ended only be means
of civil protest and joining effort by all civil and
political forces. Kremlin’s ideologists should
realise that we will not tolerate such things",
said Maxim Petlin, leader of the Sverdlovsk branch
of YABLOKO and member of Ekaterinburg City Duma...
|
| November 9, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
obtains a permission from the Moscow Mayor’s
office to conduct a rally against political terror
Press Release, November 9,
2010
Today YABLOKO has obtained a permission
from the Moscow Mayor’s office to conduct a
rally against political terror on November 14. The
rally will take place by the Giboyedov monument at
Chistiye Prudi. The rally marks the sad anniversary
of an attack against journalist and Editor-in-Chief
of the Khimki Pravda paper Mikhail Beketov left handicapped
because of the injuries (Mikhail was one of the activists
protecting the Khimki Forest near Moscow and criticizing
the local authorities), and will be commemorate all
the journalists and human rights activists who were
injured or murdered. The participants of the action
will speak about Konstantin Fetisov, activist protecting
the Khimiki Forest, and journalist of the Kommersant
paper Oleg Kashin who were severely injured several
days ago...
|
| Pickets
in support of journalist Oleg Kashin take place in
St.Petersburg
Press Release, November 8,
2010
Pickets in support of journalist from
the Kommersant paper Oleg Kashin attacked and severely
injured at night on November 6, took place in St.Petersburg
on Saturday and Sunday. The pickets were held in the
main street of the city Nevsky Prospekt. Students
from different universities, journalists and activists
of St.Petersburg Youth YABLOKO participated in the
picketing... |
| November 8, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin took part in the picket of solidarity with
journalist Oleg Kashin
Press Release, November 8,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
participated in the picketing of the Moscow Interior
Office where journalists and public activists have
been holding an ongoing action demanding to investigate
the attack against journalist of the popular Kommersant
paper Oleg Kashin...
|
| On
the attack against journalist Oleg Kashin
Statement by the Federal Council
of the YABLOKO party, November 6, 2010
The Federal Council of the Russian
United Democratic Party YABLOKO expresses indignation
in connection with the attack against journalist of
the Kommersant paper Oleg Kashin who was severely
injured.
There is every reason to believe that
the attack was related to his professional activities.
YABLOKO wishes to Oleg Kashin a speedy recovery, and
demands from the law enforcement a thorough investigation
and punishment of those who committed this attack.
The YABLOKO party states that it is
ready to participate in an independent investigation
of the circumstances of this crime and render all
possible assistance, its human and organizational
resources to Editor-in-Chief Mikhail Mikhailin and
the team of the Kommersant paper. YABLOKO has already
had an experience of such investigations: on the case
of murder of our friend and party colleague well-known
Russian journalist Larissa Yudina...
|
| YABLOKO
expresses support to Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon
Lebedev
Statement by YABLOKO’s
Political Committee, November 4, 2010 (published on
November 7, 2010)
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO has been watching the trial of the second
case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev with
unflagging concern the. The party insists that the
prosecution has been selective and therefore politically
biased. The party urges the court to demonstrate its
independence, professionalism and civic consciousness
in making its verdict and not to take into account
the highly questionable arguments of the prosecution...
|
| November 3, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
to pay tribute to the memory of fighters against Bolsheviks
Press Release, November 3,
2010
On November 7 (a former Great October
Revolution Day), the YABLOKO party will conduct a
memorial action paying tribute to those who defended
democratic Russia – officers and students of
junker schools who put up an armed resistance against
the Bolshevik coup d’etat of 1917. A picket
will take place by the Gogol monument at 13:00. The
participants of the picket will tell about the struggle
of the White Guard against Bolsheviks during October
coup in Moscow. The activists will also display photographs
of those times...
|
| November 1, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
Federal Council meeting to take place on November
5-6
Press Release, November 1,
2010
YABLOKO’s Federal Council meeting
to take place on November 5-6, 2010. The topic of
the Federal Council’s meeting will be “The
Party’s Policies for 2011-2012: the Strategy
and the Tactics”. The meeting will be opened
by Boris Misnik, Coordinator of the Political Committee,
on November 5 at 11:00. Then party leader Sergei Mitrokhin
will make a report “The Party’s policies
for 2011-2012: the Strategy and the Tactics”.
A briefing by YABLOKO’s leaders will be held
from 12:00 to 13:00. Founder of the party and member
of Political Committee Grigory Yavlinsky will make
a report “The Political Situation in the Country
and the World and Development Prospects” at
16:00... |
| Deputy
Chairman of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO appeals to
the Supreme Court of Russia and the European Court
of Human Rights
Press Release, October 29,
2010
Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chairman of
the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, who was sentenced to
five years of probation in 2008 for his alleged “breaking
an arm” to a policeman when police was dispersing
a sanctioned rally in the South Butovo, Moscow, appealed
against the verdict in the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation. Bolshakov asks the Supreme Court to abrogate
the verdict all the subsequent decisions of the Moscow
City Court in view of absence of crime in his actions,
as well as in connection with the falsification of
the criminal case against him by the law enforcement
and multiple violations of the law during the trial... |
| YABLOKO
participated in the Returning of the Names action
Press Release and photo report,
October 29, 2010
Activists and leaders of the YABLOKO
party participated in the Returning of the Names action
organised by the Memorial human rights society. The
action took place on the threashold of the Memory
Day of the Victims of Political Reprisals.
Muscovites made a long queue to read
out the names of the victims of Stalin’s terror.
Each of the participants obtained a list with the
list containing names of the victims of political
reprisals of 1937-1938, their age, post and the date
of execution. Ending the reading with the words “we
shall never forget them” the participants of
the action put a candle by the Solovetsky Stone...
|
| October 28, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
to participate in the Returning of the Names action
Press Release, October 28,
2010
Tomorrow, on October 29, on the threashold
of the Memory Day of the Victims of Political Reprisals,
the Memorial human rights society organises the Returning
of the Names action by the Solovetsky Stone, Lubyanka
square, Moscow. The participants of the action in
turn will read our loud the names of the people shot
in Moscow during Stalin’s reprisals. The action
will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The leaders and activists of the YABLOKO
party will read the names of the victims of Stalin’s
reprisals at 2 p.m. Over 30,000 people were shot in
Moscow only during 1937-1938...
|
| October 26, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
paid tribute to the victims – hostages of Dubrovka
theatre
Press Release, October 26,
2010
Today activists of the YABLOKO party
and its leader Sergei Mitrokhin together with other
Muscovites came to pay tribute to the hostages who
eight years ago came to the Nord-Ost musical in the
Theatre Centre at Dubrovka and were killed during
the rescue operation... |
| October 22, 2010 |
| The
murder of Larissa Yudina is still uninvestigated
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
October 22, 2010
Today our friend, journalist and editor
of the Sovetskaya Kalmykia Today paper Larisa Yudina
would have turned 65.
She was killed on June 7, 1998. The
perpetrators and the organiser of this murder –
S.Vaskin who had had several criminal records and
served as Legal Advisor to the President of Kalmykia
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, were found and convicted.
However, the person who ordered the
murder has not been named yet, in spite of the fact
that the investigation knows his name...
|
| October 21, 2010 |
| No
anti-corruption audit envisaged for Russian MPs
Press Release, October 21,
2010
“Anticorruption campaign launched
by President Medvedev turned out to be another PR
action,” that’s how YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin commented on the answer he received
from the Apparat of the Russian government on his
demand to conduct anticorruption audit against Boris
Gryzlov, Speaker of the State Duma and Chair of the
Supreme Council of the ruling United Russia party,
and seven more deputies of the State Duma. Sergei
Mitrokhin forwarded a letter to Sergei Narishkin,
head of Presidential Administration and Sergei Sobyanin,
head of the Apparat of the Government, demanding to
initiate anticorruption audit against deputies of
Duma who violated the rules of publishing income statements.
These letters became the first steps
adopted by the YABLOKO party targeted at setting control
over incomes and property of public persons. Such
control was announced by President Medvedev after
applications by Transparency International –
Russia...
|
| About
11,000 deputies were elected unopposed at the recent
regional and municipal elections
Press Release, October 21,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin,
finds it necessary to urgently abrogate the norm of
the law allowing to conduct elections with only one
candidate running. According to Mitrokhin, on October
10, 10,929 candidates obtained their deputies’
mandates after running unopposed at the recent regional
and municipal elections...
"The price of participation in
local elections is very high for independent candidates
– one can loose his or her job. However, there
are only a few chances to win over the administrative
resource. If we ban such upopposed elections, the
local organisations of the ruling United Russia party
will have to reduce their pressure on the opposition,"
Mitrokhin said... |
| Parties’
Council gave its recommendations to the candidate
on the post of the Moscow Mayor
Press Release, October 21,
2010
The Parties’ Public Consultative
Council with the Moscow parliament (the Moscow City
Duma) sent today a letter to Sergei Sobyanin, candidate
to the post of the Mayor of Moscow proposed by the
President to the Moscow City Duma. The address contains
ten paragraphs in total representing definite measures
for improvement of socioeconomic situation in Moscow...
|
| October 20, 2010 |
| The
European Court of Human Rights admitted the claim
on annulment of the results of Russian parliamentary
elections of 2003
Press Release, October 20,
2010
Today the European Court of Human
Rights admitted the complaint on the results of parliamentary
elections of 2003 submitted by YABLOKO, CPRF and several
individuals including Sergei Ivanenko, Vladimir Ryzhkov,
Irina Khakamada, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Solovyov
and journalists Eugeni Kiselyov and Dmitry Muratov.
The claim will be examined at the Court’s meeting
shortly.
Now the plaintiffs and the Government
of Russia should give answers on the follow-up questions
set by the court. Before the claim was submitted to
Strasburg, the claim was examined by Russian courts.
In 2004 the Supreme Court of Russia rejected the claim...
|
| A
party in memory of Larissa Yudina to take place in
YABLOKO’s office
Press Release, October 20,
2010
On October 22, the birthday of Larissa
Yudina, Editor-in-Chief of Sovietskaya Kalmykia newspaper,
murdered in July 1998, the YABLOKO party will conduct
a party in her memory. The party is devoted not only
to Larissa Yudina, but to all the journalists who
died implementing their work...
|
| October 19, 2010 |
| Nuclear
Disarmament and Arms Control – Using the New
Momentum in the Debate for a “Global Zero”
Resolution of ELDR Congress,
Helsinki, October 13-15, 2010
submitted by FDP, Germany,
and YABLOKO, Russia
The European Liberal Democrat and
Reform Party, convening in Helsinki, Finland, on 13-15
October 2010:
ELDR welcomes the new drive in the
debate on nuclear disarmament and arms control that
has been neglected for too long. This progress is
reflected in particular in President Obama’s
speech in Prague and also in the debate on the declining
importance of nuclear weapons laid down in NATO’s
new strategic concept and in the successful conclusion
of the 2010 Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)... MORE
|
| Press
Conference in Stavropol on the results of regional
elections
Press Release, October 19,
2010
By the Press Service of the
Stavropol YABLOKO branch. A press conference
on the results of elections in the Stavropol Area
took place in the state television company Stavropolye
on October 13. Euvgeni Demyanov, Chair of the Stavropol
Electoral Commission, Azhdaut Ibragimov, director
of the Stavropol radio and heads of regional branches
of political parties participated in the press conference.
|
| YABLOKO
to control the population census
Press Release, October 19,
2010
YABLOKO is going to perform public
control over the population census conducted in Russia
from October 14 through October 25. According to mass
media reports, as well as information from web blogs
and forums, the census is accompanied by mass-scale
violations of citizens’ rights. The Russian
Statistical Agency (Rosstat) concluded agreements
with Moscow universities so that to employ students
as census takers. However, students are made to work
mandatory and are freed from their classes during
this period. Those who do not agree to skip classes
are threatened with expelling from their universities.
The students are made to work 12 hours a day (from
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) without any guarantees of a wage
pay. Moreover, they are not allowed to get their copies
of such labour contracts which is another violation
of the law.
According to mass media, in some Russian
region census takers demand from the citizens, in
violation of the law “On the All-Russia Census”,
to provide their passport data. It also turned out
that census stations are headed mostly by the ruling
United Russia party members. A number of census stations
are even located in United Russia offices. YABLOKO
expresses its concern that the census data will be
used by the ruling party in its political goals...
|
| October 15, 2010 |
| Grigory
Yavlinsky participates in the Forum 2000 Conferences
Press Release, October 14,
2010
Member of YABLOKO's Political Committee
and founder of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky participated
in the Forum-2000 Conferences in Pragye on October
10-12, 2010. The idea for the Forum 2000 Conference
originated in 1997, when former Czech President Václav
Havel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, and
philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa invited world leaders
to Prague to discuss the challenges humanity was facing
on the threshold of a new millennium. Since then,
Forum 2000 evolved into a successful and widely recognized
conference series, where distinguished guests continue
to address a diverse international community on topics
ranging from religious dialogue to human rights and
national security.
According to former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell,
“The best way to turn philosophy into action
is to bring together the philosophers and actors as
President Havel does at Forum 2000.” Over the
years, Forum 2000 has also become a true Prague tradition,
followed closely by the media, political, intellectual,
and business elites, and the interested public...
|
| European
liberals’ congress adopts a resolution of nuclear
disarmament motioned jointly by German FDP and YABLOKO
Press Release, October 15,
2010
Today, on October 15, the Congress
of the European Liberals and Democrats party, ELDR,
(Helsinki, October 14-15) adopted resolution Nuclear
Disarmament and Arms Control – Using the New
Momentum in the Debate for a “Global Zero”
motioned jointly by the German FDP party and YABLOKO.
“ELDR perceives nuclear
disarmament and arms control as a corner stone of
the global security architecture. ELDR explicitly
commits itself to the establishment of a world free
of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
However, ELDR wants the progress in the current debate
to have an impact on conventional disarmament,”
runs the resolution...
...Yesterday on October 14, YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin representing the party at
the ELDR Congress met with Ambassador of Russia in
Finland Alexander Rumyantsev for discussion of some
issues of Russia-Finland relations. In addition, Mitrokhin
and Rumyantsev (who had previously headed the Russian
Ministry for Atomic Energy in 2001-2005) discussed
the problems of the nuclear energy sector. |
| Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate 2010
Press Release, October 12, 2010.
Chinese human rights activist and
writer Liu Xiaobo who is currently serving 11 years
of imprisonment in a China for alleged "inciting
subversion of state power" has become 2010 Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate.
In February 2010 Liu Xiaobo was nominated
for the Nobel Peace prize by Václav Havel,
Dalai Lama, André Glucksmann, Vartan Gregorian,
Mike Moore, Karel Schwarzenberg, Desmond Tutu and
Grigory Yavlinsky... |
| October 14, 2010 |
| European
liberals’ Congress discusses relations between
Russia and EU
Press Release, October 14,
2010
Today, on October 14, a congress by
the European Liberal Democrats party (ELDR) opened
in Helsinki. YABLOKO is a full member of ELDR. A welcoming
address to over 500 delegates of the Congress was
made by Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, ELDR President,
and Mari Kiviniemi, Prime Minister of Finland. In
her speech Mari Kiviniemi dwelled upon relations between
Russia and Finland stating that Russia was “the
key economic partner for Finland”. Prime Minister
of Finland expressed her opinion that one of the main
problems for Russia at present was overcoming Russia’s
dependence on raw. Mari Kiviniemi also expressed her
hope that Russian-Finnish cooperation will be broadening
in all the spheres: economy, education and culture,
humanitarian exchanges and other...
In his speech ... Sergei Mitrokhin
told about the situation with the recent elections
in Russia and also discussed a number of YABLOKO’s
foreign policy initiatives... |
| October 13, 2010 |
| Elections
protocols were simply changed by local Administration
in Sergiyev Posad
Press Release and a video, October 13, 2010.
Sergei
Kryzhov, leader of Sergiyev Posad YABLOKO, forwarded
to the Public Prosecutor’s Office a video demonstrating
that Chair of one of the electoral commissions was
changing by hand the results of the voting in a corridor
of local Administration at night after the election.
Chair of Electoral Commission
No 2661 (village Zhuchki, Sergiyev Posad Distrcit)
at 4 o’clock in the morning is amending the
results of the voting. The action takes place in the
corridor of local Administration, where Territorial
Electoral Commission is also located. Sergei Kryzhov
filmed this on his camera.
The video demonstrates that the original
protocol has a stamp and signatures by electoral commission
members. Chair of the electoral commission is putting
at random figures into a fraudulent protocol and fakes
signatures of her colleagues. The video runs for two
minutes and after this Nadezhda Krivosheya, Secretary
of the Territorial Electoral Commission comes to her
rescue. According to Kryzhov, while the Secretary
was trying to find out what he was filming, the Chair
of the electoral commission took this time to disappear...
|
| October 12, 2010 |
| Mitrokhin:
we can cooperate with ex-Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzkov
only on some issues.
Press Release, October 12,
2010. Based on media interviews.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
agreed with the assessment which ex-Mayor of Moscow
Yuri Luzkov has given to YABLOKO earlier in the day.
In his interview to Interfax Luzhkov confirmed his
desire to engage in politics and made a critical statement
about “inner political work” in Russian
political parties. “Democracy can not go together
with authoritarian methods. “Today we have no
[democratic] parties, maybe except for YABLOKO…
YABLOKO is the [only] party where inner [party] work
is performed in accordance with democratic principles.”
“We can only agree here. It
is really so. And it is a correct assessment,”
Mitrokhin said commenting Luzhkov’s statement
to the RIA Novosti on October 12. YABLOKO’s
leader also added that Yuri Luzhkov knew YABLOKO’s
work very well, as we were in opposition in the Moscow
City Duma for four years.
Mitrokhin ruled out Luzhkov’s
membership in YABLOKO. YABLOKO’s leader expressed
his readiness to cooperate with Luzhkov only on certain
issues noting that YABLOKO and Luzhkov have been holding
the opposite positions on political issues...
|
| Violations
at elections in the Chelyabinsk region. United Russia
voters arrive by special coaches
Press Release, October 11, 2010.
...YABLOKO’s observers registered
mass-scale voting by absentee ballots. Early in the
morning on Sunday 405 people voted with absentee ballots
at polling station No 2029, and 300 people at polling
station No 2030. All these voters arrived to these
polling stations by special coaches (eight and ten
coaches respectively). The voters with absentee ballots
at polling station No 2029 tuned out to be workers
of the pipe plant and were dressed in workers uniform
and went to the voting booths by two or three... |
| October 11, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
success at municipal elections in the Stavropol region
Press Release, October 11, 2010.
YABLOKO’s candidates Nikolai Kartzev,
farmer and chair of the local YABLOKO branch in the
Kursk district, and Alexander Noyev, school teacher,
chair of the local party branch in Budyonnovsky district
and member of the Council and Bureau of the regional
branch of YABLOKO, won a clear-cut victory at municipal
elections on October 10, 2010. |
| Chair
of the Pskov YABLOKO: “Honest elections in dishonest
environment took place in the Sebezhsky Distrcit of
the Pskov region”
Press Release, October 11, 2010.
In this election YABLOKO obtained
20.6 per cent coming second after the ruling United
Russia. Elections of the head
of the district and deputies of the Deputies Assembly
took place in the Sebezhsky Distrcit, Pskov region,
on October 10. This is for the
first time that elections in the district take place
in accordance with the mixed system: 8 deputies out
of 15 are elected on parties lists and 7 in single-mandate
electoral districts.
According to the preliminary results
of the voting published at the Central Electoral Commission
web-site, YABLOKO obtained 20.6 per cent of the votes
yielding only to the ruling United Russia (46.08 per
cent). The Communist party (CPRF) obtained 17.25 per
cent and LDPR – 10.59 per cent...
|
| A
rally in protection of an oak wood in Khimki, Moscow
region
Press Release, October 10, 2010.
About 500 people gathered for a rally
in protection of an oak wood in Khimki, Moscow region,
on October 10. This time the authorities decided to
cut the wood under construction of an elite housing
complex with a quay for yachts in the water protection
zone of the Moscow Canal. The action joined together
local residents, activists of the Movement for Protection
of Khimki Forest and YABLOKO’s activists. YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
After the rally two unidentified men
saying that they are from the Police Department on
Economic Crimes tried to detain Mitrokhin. However,
they refused to show their credentials...
|
| March
in Support of St.Petersburg gathered about 3,000 participants
Press Release, October 11, 2010.
The fourth March in Support of St.Petersburg
took place in St.Petersburg on October 9. According
to the organizers, about 3,000 people came to this
action which was conducted in a form of rally-concert.
The action was initiated by Zhivoi Gorog (Living City)
movement, Civil Initiatives Movement, St.Petersburg
YABLOKO and members of St.Petersburg branch of the
Society for Preservation of Historical and Cultural
Heritage (VOOPIiK). Other participants of the action
were St.Petersburg Youth YABLOKO, the Federation of
Social Youth, United People’s Front, the Women
Voters’ League, environmental human rights centre
Bellona, EKOM, the Okhta Curve, Let Us Preserve Yuntolovo,
For the Protection of the Vassiliyevsky Island, Bashne.Net,
Solidarity, Defence, Russian People’s Democratic
Union, St.Petersburg Human Rights Council, Association
of Small and Medium Businesses, different initiative
groups and many other. The key topic was the protest
against building of the Okhta Centre which will spoil
the historical environment of the city. The participants
also called to preserve the historical centre of St.Petersburg
and protect parks and gardens in the city. Many participants
spoke about the need to return elections of St.Petersburg
Governor and called the present Governor Valentina
Matviyenko to resign...
|
| October 8, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
participates in elections in ten Russian regions
Press Release, October 8, 2010.
Regional and local elections will
take place in many Russian regions on a single election
day – October 10.
YABLOKO nominated a list of candidates
for elections to the legislative assembly of the Chelyabinsk
region. YABLOKO’s candidate also runs for the
legislative assembly of the Novosibirsk region. In
nine more regions YABLOKO runs in municipal elections...
|
| Investigation
of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya should be boosted
Statement by YABLOKO's Chairman.
October 7, 2010.
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO demands to boost investigation of the murder
of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya.
There is much chance to efficiently
investigate this case.
The investigation produced some results,
however, it has not moved any further for a long time.
We think that this happens first of
all due to the lack of political will to complete
the investigation, i.e. to find those who ordered
the murder... |
| October 2, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
ecologist Olga Tzepilova to inspect nuclear facilities
in the USA
Press Release, October 1, 2010.
Deputy Chair of YABLOKO’s Green Russia
faction ecologist Olga Tzepilova will participate
in the research tour on the invitation of the American
Centre for Safe Energy on October 3-11, 2010. The
goal of the tour is to examine nuclear facilities
in the states of Vermont and Man...
|
| October 1, 2010 |
| Russian
President should find out Muscovites’ attitude
to the new candidate on the post of the Mayor of Moscow
Press Release, October 1, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
said that Russian President should order a sociological
survey before appointing a new Mayor of Moscow. The
survey will show the attitude of the Muscovites to
the candidates proposed by the progovernmental United
Russia party. “The present
practices of appointing regional heads demonstrated
its complete failure. After the dismissal of Yuri
Luzhkov the same party bearing full responsibility
for Luzhkov’s policies proposes a new candidacy,”
Mitrokhin noted. Sergei Mitrokhin
called such situation “absurd”. YABLOKO’s
leader proposed that the candidates nominated by the
United Russia should answer the following questions
by the Muscovites...
|
| Public
prosecutors recommend to 18 legislative assemblies
to amend the situation with publishing draft laws
Press Release, September 30, 2010.
Audits conducted by public prosecutors
in ten Russian regions confirmed violations of the
federal law “On provision of access to information
about the performance by the state bodies” and
recommended to legislative assemblies of these regions
to amend these violations. Violations of the law have
already been amended in eight more regions after the
same recommendations by public prosecutors. It
should be noted that YABLOKO forwarded to Public Prosecutor
General a list of 29 regions violating the federal
law envisaging that state bodies should publish their
draft laws in the Internet. YABLOKO is certain that
publication of draft laws “is very important
for public control over adopted laws”...
|
| YABLOKO
to demand free elections in St.Petersburg Legislative
Assembly
The Baltic Information Agency,
September 30, 2010.
Representatives of the YABLOKO party,
if they are given a word in St.Petersburg Legislative
Assembly, will not raise new topics but return to
the old issues. Such a statement Chair of St.Petersburg
branch of YABLOKO Maxim Reznik made to the BalInfo.“We
shall raise the same topics our deputies Mikhail Amosov
and Natalia Yevdokimova worded in the previous convocation
of the Legislative Assembly, as these problems have
only grown for the past years,” Reznik said.
“Resignation of the Governor and return of free
[gubernatorial] elections will be a blessing for the
city. We have not got in the present convocation [of
the Legislative Assembly] as we were not even allowed
to participate in the elections, we were stopped at
the collection of signatures stage. Such situation
may return with the present Governor.”
|
| September 30,
2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
leader visits Chelyabinsk
Press Release, September 28, 2010.
On September 29 YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin visited Chelyabinsk where he met
with students of the Urals Academy of State Service
and workers of the Polyot plant, as well as participated
in the mourning action held in commemoration of nuclear
explosion at the Mayak plant.
At the meeting with the students Mitrokhin
spoke about the need to transfer to professional army
and abolishment of military conscription. He also
criticized the intentions of the military to increase
the age for conscription from 27 to 30 years of age,
and YABLOKO is going to resist these plans.
Then YABLOKO’s leader met with
the workers of Polyot plant. According to Mitrokhin,
this hi-tech production is in a deplorable state...
|
| Russia
should not be turned into international radioactive
waste dump!
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
September 29, 2010.
...In the past, during the cold war,
huge territories in the Urals and Siberia were contaminated
by waste from nuclear fuel recycling. Today it is
not war, but purely commercial and immediate financial
interests of Russian bureaucrats which lead to the
same result – radioactive contamination of the
Chelyabinsk region, dangerous transportation of radioactive
waste via St.Petersburg and many other Russian cities,
multiplication of radioactive risks in Angarsk, Seversk,
Dmitrovgrad and other centres of Russia’s “nuclear
archipelago”. Our position
is clear and unchanged: in accordance with the international
principle of equal environmental security, the country
producing nuclear waste should bear responsibility
for this waste, it is impossible to pay for ensuring
health of population in some countries with the health
and welfare of the residents of other countries.
|
| September 29,
2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin to President Medvedev: The Defence Ministry
does not implement the anticorruption laws
Press Release, September 29,
2010.
Sergei Mitrokhin forwarded an appeal
to President Dmitry Medvedev in connection with dismissal
of General Gaidukov in connection with his fraud in
the income statement. YABLOKO’s
leader asks the President to oblige the Ministry of
Defense to fully comply with the requirements of Russia’s
anti-corruption legislation. At present the Ministry's
website provides no data on the income of its civil
servants as required by law. "I'm
not surprised that the first civil servant to be sacked
was from the Defense Ministry. This Ministry has taken
steps targeted at concealing the incomes of its civil
servants from the civil control ", runs Mitrokhin’s
letter...
|
| Kalmykian
YABLOKO conducted a picket against federal law 83
targeted at commercialization of education and healthcare
Press Release, September 29,
2010.
The Kalmykian branch of YABLKO conducted
a picket in Elista against federal law 83 targeted
at commercialization of education and healthcare.
The law envisages virtual transfer to paid services
in education and healthcare violating the constitutional
right of the Russian citizens to free education and
healthcare...
|
| Irkutsk
YABLOKO conducted a picket against federal law 83
targeted at commercialization of education and healthcare
Press Release, September 28,
2010.
The Irkutsk branch YABLKO and Parent’
Club from Angarsk conducted a picket in Irkutsk against
federal law 83 targeted at commercialization of education
and healthcare... |
| The
Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia
supported YABLOKO’s candidates at regional elections
in the Chelyabinsk region
Press Release, September 29,
2010.
Yesterday, on September 28, a meeting
of the Council for Consolidation of Women's Movement
in Russia took place in Moscow. Galina Mikhalyova,
Chair of YABLOKO’s Gender faction and Co-Chair of
the Council, proposed a decision approved by the Council
to support YABLOKO’s candidates at regional elections
in the Chelyabinsk region.
It was noted that YABLOKO’s list in
the Chelyabinsk region was topped by women: Natalia
Mironova, a well-known environmentalist, and Fatima
Kobzhasarova, Chair of women's rights movement Fatihha.
The key slogans of the party campaign in the Chelyabinsk
region are "Politics Is Women's Business!"
and "For Women! For Protection of Environment!
For YABLOKO!”...
|
| September 28,
2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin on today’s dismissal
of Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov
Based on Sergei Mitrokhin's
press interviews, September 28, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
suggested that Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov may face
political persecutions after his dismissal. Sergei
Mitrokhin noted that the law enforcement may get interested
in Luzhkov’s activities soon after his dismissal.
According to Mitrokhin, the fate of
the dismissed mayor is an “unpredictable thing”.
"In our country the traditions of finding a scapegoat
are very strong. If one gets out of favour in politics
he should be on the guard until the end,” Mitrokhin
explained...
|
| Grigory
Yavlinsky visited Vladimir
TV-6 channel, Vladimir, September
23, 2010.
Grigory Yavlinsky, economist and politician
of 1990s with the highest reputation arrived to the
Vladimir region. Yavlinsky was Vice-Premier of the
Soviet government, deputy of the State Duma of three
convocations and former leader of the democratic YABLOKO
party. The programme of Yavlinsky’s official
visit Yavlinsky is very tense: a meeting with the
Governor of the region, negotiations with the heads
of the Electrocable plant in Kolchugino, a lecture
in the Vladimir branch of the Academy of the State
Service, press conferences and numerous interviews.
Such high interest to Yavlinsky is very easy to explain
considering Russia’s monotonous political landscape.
Any alternative professional view is in demand now
by the thinking part of the Russian society. Does
the opposition have chances to destroy the political
monopoly of the [progovernmental] United Russia party?
Why do food-stuff prices fell in the developed countries
but rise in Russia? And why does the Kremlin once
again issue licences for mobbing of governors? An
independent evaluation by an authoritative expert
on the key political and economic issues leaves no
comment...
|
| September 27,
2010 |
| President
of Russia supported YABLOKO’s amendment to the
law on police
Press Release, September 27,
2010.
Past week President of Russia Dmitry
Medvedev conducted a meeting for discussion of the
draft federal law “On Police”. At the
meeting the President also spoke on two amendments
proposed by the YABLOKO party.
A special web-site created for public
discussion of the draft law on police demonstrated
that eight out of ten amendments proposed by YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin to the new law were in the
top of the public voting rating... |
| Protesters
demanded to abrogate the law on reform of budget supported
schools and hospitals in a rally in Moscow
Press Release, September 25,
2010.
A rally of indignant parents took
place at Taras Shevchenko embankment, Moscow. The
participants of the rally protested against introduction
of paid education and healthcare, as well as all-through
commercialisation of the education sector. Activists
and leaders of the YABLOKO party participated in the
rally.
The changes in the federal law No 83 virtually form
a legislative basis under introduction of paid education
and healthcare and curbing the sphere of free services
to virtually nothing, thus violating constitutional
rights of the citizens to free education and healthcare.
“This law violated Article 34
of the Russian Constitution which guarantees comprehensive
gratuitous education. It is targeted against modernization,
as two thirds of the population will be doomed to
semi-illiteracy. In contrast to President’s
wishes not only they will be unable to develop new
technologies, but even to realise what they are about,”
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin said at the
rally... |
| September 24,
2010 |
| On
the political crisis in Moscow and the ways out of
it
Statement by the Regional
Council of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, September
24, 2010.
The situation developing around Moscow
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov demonstrates a crisis of the political
system created in Russia for the past ten years. Abolishing
direct elections of heads of the regions the federal
authorities have virtually eliminated the sole mechanism
allowing for a legitimate change of authorities. Certainly
this mechanism had its drawbacks, but it functioned
nonetheless.
Transfer to virtual appointment of
regional heads created a gigantic gap between the
authorities and the people, undermined the legitimacy
of the heads that were not elected by the citizens
[but were appointed by the authorities] and shifted
the responsibility for problems and failures in the
regions onto the federal centre. Appointment of regional
heads has already turned into an arena of under-carpet
fight between different clans...
|
| YABLOKO
to invite Education Minister Andrei Fursenko to the
rally of indignant parents
Press Release, September 23,
2010.
On September 24 activists of the Youth
YABLOKO are going to hand to Education Minister Andrei
Fursenko invitation to the rally which will be conducted
by outraged parents in Moscow tomorrow. The participants
of the rally protest against mass-scale dismissals
of teachers all over the country planned y the Education
Ministry, as well as all-through commercialisation
of the education sector... |
| September 23,
2010 |
The
Mayor of Moscow and the Moscow City Duma give contradicting
evidence in the litigation on the General Plan of
Moscow Development
Press Release, September 22,
2010.
..."Today we are facing an absurd
situation when everyone is interested in the fate
of the Mayor of Moscow, but a document threatening
with a collapse to the city in the nearest perspective
remains without any attention. And only the YABLOKO
party is dealing with it,” Mitrokhin noted.
"Apparently the President and the other organisers
of the campaign against Luzhkov do not care about
the fate of the city, they are only interested in
settling their personal political scores", he
added.
|
| September 21,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
planted about 6,000 trees for national park Meschyera
which suffered from fires
Press Release, September 21,
2010.
On September 20, YABLOKO’s activists
planted about 6,000 plantlets and 40 kilograms of
acorns in the fields of a plant nursery for further
planting of young trees in the national park Meschyera
severely affected by fires. About
40 party activists arrived to Kolionovo farm (Yegoryevsky
district of the Moscow region) on the invitation of
farmer Mikhail Shlyapnikov so that to help with restoration
of forests in three regions that suffered from fires:
Moscow, Vladimir and Ryazan regions.
“The national park will need
about 70 years to restore after fires while we can
considerably curb this period planting trees,”
Mikhail Shlyapniokov noted. The farmers allotted 2
hectares of land under a plan nursery and YABLOKO
bought plantlets of fir-trees, pines, ashes, lime
trees and other trees...
|
| YABLOKO’s
activists cleaned the territory by the Baraus Lake
near Chelyabinsk
Press Release, September 20,
2010.
On September 19 YABLOKO’s activists
cleaned the territory by the Baraus Lake situated
in the Ilmen national park in the Chelyabinsk region.
Two large KAMAZ trucks took the dump from the lake.
A large territory along the coast was cleaned from
the dump...
|
| September 20,
2010 |
| Open
letter to the delegates of the General Assembly of
the 81st FIDE Congress
September 20, 2010.
...Election of FIDE President is to
take place on September 29. The current FIDE President
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the 12th World Champion Anatoly
Karpov are competing for this post.
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO appeals to you so that to prevent reelection
of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, one of the most disgraceful
figures in Russian politics, to the post of FIDE President.
YABLOKO has always regarded Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov's regime set in the Republic of Kalmykia,
uncontrollably governed by Ilyumzhinov for 17 years,
as one of the ugliest manifestations in Russia’s
political history of the past two decades presenting
a merger of authoritarian rule, corruption and crime.
Larissa Yudina, Chair of the Kalmykia
regional branch of YABLOKO, paid with her life in
1998 for the fight against this regime, and Ilyumzhinov's
aid was convicted for committing this murder. In our
view, responsibility for this crime lies entirely
with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov... |
| September 16,
2010 |
| Opposition
from the Republic of Mordovia demanded resignation
of President of Mordovia at its rally in Moscow
Press Release, September 16,
2010.
Today, on September 16, an action
against corruption in the Republic of Mordovia took
place by Representation of Mordovia in Moscow. Activists
of the Mordvin and the Moscow branches of the YABLOKO
party and farmers from the Lyambirsky district of
the republic who had suffered from raider related
crimes participated in the action. The
key demand of the picketers was resignation of President
of Mordovia Nikolai Merkushkin, who had been leading
the region for 15 years already.
“No only Mordovia failed to
leave the ten of economically most backward regions
of Russia, but even increased the gap with the developed
regions for the years Merkushkin had been President
of the republic,” Vladimir Gridin, the leader
of the Mordovian YABLOKO said. However, Mordovia has
been topping the list of the most corruption affected
regions, he said... |
| The
Fall Session of the Evening University opened by Alexander
Daniel’d lecture “Human Rights Organisations
in the USSR”
Press Release, September 15,
2010.
Head of the YABLOKO’s Evening
University and First Deputy Chair of the Moscow branch
of YABLOKO, Galina Mikhalyova announced another set
of lectures by Memorial and a new programme –
the Ecological School – which will be launched
in October. The Fall Session was opened by Alexander
Daniel’s lecture “Human Rights Organisations
in the USSR”. (Prof.Daniel is member of the
Board of the Memorial human rights society). Prof.Daniel
spoke in detail about the development of human rights
movement in the USSR drawing the attention of the
audience to the specifics of the organisations... |
| September 14,
2010 |
| Who
wanted to kill journalist Mikhail Beketov
Press Release, September 14,
2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
continues to insist that "Governor of the Moscow
region Boris Gromov bears the political responsibility
for everything happening in the Moscow region, including
the situation with crime, which allows [criminals]
to attempt lives of public figures"...
Governor of the Moscow region Boris
Gromov applied to court stating that Mitrokhin’s
speech at rally on November 16, 2009, on the anniversary
of the attack against Beketov. Mitrokhin’s speech
appeared at YouTube and was also published at YABLOKO’s
web-site. The Governor of the
Moscow region demanded compensation of moral damages
amounting to RUR 500,000, however, the court cut this
amount to RUR 20,000 (approx. USD 670)...
|
| Training
seminar “Women on the Labour Market” held
in the Vologda region
Press Release, September 13,
2010.
Training seminar within the project
of the Institute of Comparative Analysis of Labour
Relations “Women on the Labour Market”
was held in Cherepovyetz, Vologda Region. The seminar
was organised by Ludmila Ivanova, Chair of the Vologda
branch of the YABLOKO party. The programme is supported
by the Council for Consolidation of Women’s
Movement in Russia.
The participants of the seminar (28
people in total) including representatives of independent
trade unions, teachers, journalists and activists
of Russian parties (YABLOKO, the CPRF and Just Russia)
learned about the situation with gender discrimination
on the labour market... |
| September 13,
2010 |
| On
the crisis of power in Moscow and the ways out of
it
Statement by the Moscow regional
branch of YABLOKO, September 13, 2010.
The situation developing around Moscow
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov indicates of the crisis of the
political system created in Russia in the past ten
years. Abolishing direct elections of regional leaders,
the federal leaders have destroyed a legitimate mechanism
for rotation of power. This mechanism had its drawbacks,
however, it functioned.
Actual appointment of the regional
leaders created a gigantic gap between the government
and the people, undermined the legitimacy of the leaders
who were not elected by the citizens, shifted the
responsibility for problems and failures in the regions
on the federal center... |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin called to a radical change of Russia’s political
course at the World Political Forum
Press Release, September 12,
2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
called to a radical change of Russia’s political course
at the World Political Forum in Yaroslavl. "We
require an anti-oligarchic project or, in other words,
policies the essence of which would be a bourgeois
revolution from the top,” he said. Mitrokhin
proposed the following key steps that should be undertaken
by the authorities so that to conduct a real modernisation
of Russia... |
| YABLOKO
paid tribute to the victims of the act of terror at
Kashirskaya highway in Moscow
Press Release, September 13,
2010.
Today activists and leaders of the
YABLOKO party paid tribute to the victims of the act
of terror which 11 years ago took the lives of 124
residents of a block of flats at Kashirskaya highway
in Moscow. YABLOKO’s activists laid flowers
to the monument built in the place of a block of flats
ruined by the blast. The explosion took place in the
basement of an eight-storied block of flats (Kashirskoye
highway 6, bldg. 3) on September 13, 1999, at 5 a.m.
Due to the fact that the block of flats was built
of brick, it was completely destroyed and all the
residents -124 people - who were in the building were
killed, seven people were injured and 119 families
were affected by that tragedy. |
| September 11,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
paid tribute to the victims killed 11 years ago in
the act of terror at Guryanova street in Moscow
Press Release, September 9,
2010.
Delegation of the Moscow branch of
the YABLOKO party paid tribute to the victims of the
act of terror at Guryanova street in Moscow, laying
flowers to the monument in the place of a blasted
block of flats. A powerful explosion completely ruined
to sections of a nine-storied block of flats at Guryanova
19, Moscow, on September 8, 1999, at 11:58 p.m. A
neighbouring 17-storied house was also affected. 106
people were killed and 264 injured. |
| September 10,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
begins collecting comments and signatures to its amendments
on the draft law “On Police”
Press Release, September 10,
2010.
YABLOKO begins collecting coments
and signatures from the citizens and experts to its
amendments to the draft law on police with the help
of a specially created web-site. The web-site will
be opened for comments until September 15. YABLOKO
has already prepared a package of amendments to the
draft law on police which was loudly announced by
the government as a more democratic law than the present.
The draft was for the first time published
in the Internet for a feed-back from the public. The
developers of the law had stated that one of the key
goals of the draft was creation of police instead
of the present “militia”. However, experts,
journalists and ordinary citizens were shocked by
the draft as it provided unprecedented powers to the
police envisaging virtually no control over it and
considerably worsening the situation for the society.
According to some experts, the law will turn the country
into a large concentration camp...
|
| On
the act of terror in Vladikavkaz
Statement by YABLOKO’s Chairman, September 9,
2010.
The YABLOKO party expresses its condolence
to the relatives and next-of-kin of the victims of
the act of terror in Vladikavkaz. We express our support
to the people of the Northern Ossetia, who unfortunately
is again facing terrorists’ attack. This crime
is especially cynical as it was made several days
after the mourning anniversary of the act of terror
in Beslan [when a whole school was taken hostages
and many 334 children died].
The YABLOKO party demands immediate
investigation of this crime which should be taken
under control of the top officials of the country
and punishment of all guilty in this crime in accordance
with the law...
|
| September 9,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
registered for election race in the Chelyabinsk region
and Tomsk
Press Release, September 8,
2010.
On September 8, electoral commissions
announced registration of two YABLOKO election lists
– for elections to the Legislative Assembly
of the Chelyabinsk region and the City Duma of Tomsk...
In the Chelyabinsk region YABLOKO’s
list is topped by women – ecologist Natalya
Mironova and human rights activist Fatima Kobzhasarova.
The campaign will focus on environmental problems
that are very urgent in this region and women’s
rights. YABLOKO’s campaign
in Tomsk will lay emphasis on fight against corruption
– one of the most acute problems of the city.
|
| YABLOKO
made parliaments of Mordovia and Karachayevo-Cherkessia
publish draft laws
Press Release, September 7,
2010.
Public Prosecutors of Mordovia and
Karachayevo-Cherkessia submitted their orders to the
parliaments of these republics requiring them to eliminate
violations of the law "On Ensuring Public Access
to Information About the Activities of State Bodies".
From now on the parliaments of the republics are obliged
to publish draft laws at their official websites.
In July, the Yabloko party forwarded
to the Public Prosecutor General a list of the 29
regions violating the federal law, which from this
year requires from the legislative assemblies to publish
the draft laws in the Internet. YABLOKO’s activists
say that publication of draft laws "is important
for public control over the laws to be adopted"...
|
| Public
organisations concerned about lack of anti-corruption
measures of the Investigation Committee
Press Release, September 7,
2010.
The Council of Public Organisations
of the Klin District, Moscow region, where YABLOKO
participates conducted picketing by the Public Prosecutor’s
Office in Klin under the slogan “Three years
of work of the Investigation Committee – and
where are the results in fight against corruption?”
Members of the public organisations expressed their
disappointment with the performance of the head of
the Investigation Committee in Klin Roman Dyachkovsky...
|
| September 8,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
conducted a picket in support of deputy of the Tula
City Duma
Press Release, September 7,
2010.
YABLOKO conducted a picket by representation
of the Tula region in Moscow in support of deputy
of the Tula City Duma from the YABLOKO party Vladimir
Timakov. A criminal case was filed against Timakov
for his criticism of the Governor of the Tula region
Vyacheslav Dudka (“The Governor is responsible
for the rise of corruption in the region”).
It should be noted that, in accordance with Russian
law, libel cases may be filed either within the criminal
or the civil process. However, all the recent cases
against journalists or dissenting people who dared
to criticize the officials were raised within criminal
process...
Vladimir Timakov is the only politician
in the Tula region who dared to criticize the Governor.
Timakov laid the blame for record high corruption
in the region on Governor Dudka.
Timakov was already found guilty in
two civil trials. He was also fined RUR 1.5 mln (approx.
USD 500,000) for the moral damage to the Governor.
The possessions in the flat where Timakov’s
family lives (he has several children) is sequestered
for the debt. The list of such property includes a
fridge, a washing machine, books, icons, children’s
furniture. Timakov also faces up to three years of
imprisonment.
|
| September 7,
2010 |
| Grigory
Yavlinsky will be the guest of the Real Time programme
at the Finam FM radio
Press Release, September 7,
2010.
Member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee
and founder of the party Dr. Grigory Yavlinsky will
be the guest of the Real Time programme at the Finam
FM radio. The topic of the programme is “Political
Liberties and Economic Modernisation. Why the Former
Requires the Latter?” |
| Bundestag
members visited YABLOKO’s office
Press Release, September 6,
2010.
On September 6 YABLOKO received the
delegation of the German Free Democratic Party (Freie
Demokratische Partei, FDP) in YABLOKO’s Moscow
office. The FDP delegation included Bundestag members
Dr.Reiner Stinner, Marina Schuster, Dr. Bijan Djir-Sarai
and Patrick Kurth, staff members of the FDP parliamentary
faction, Director of the Moscow Bureau of the Friedrich
Naumann Foundation Sasha Tamm and staff members of
the German Embassy. FDP together with the Christian
Democrats forms a coalition German federal government.
FDP leader Guido Westerwelle is currently German Foreign
Minister... |
| Presentation
of the book “Yuri Schekochikhin. Three Epochs
of Russian Journalism” took place in Moscow
Press Release, September 6,
2010.
The Faculty of Journalism of the Moscow
State University (MGU) and the Russian Journalists’
Union invite you to the presentation of the book “Yuri
Schekochikhin. Three Epochs of Russian Journalism”
(by Mediamir publishing house). The presentation will
take place in the Marble Hall of the Central House
of Journalist on Friday, September 3, at 5 p.m.
Yuri Schekochikhin, member of the
YABLOKO party and MP, was one of the pillars of Russia’s
investigative journalism. He was murdered in 2003...
|
| September 6,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
presented its books at the Moscow International Book
Fair
Press Release, September 4,
2010.
On September 4 YABLOKO presented its
books at the 23rd Moscow International Book Fair.
Member of YABLOKO’s Political
Committee, head of the International Security Centre
under the Institute of World Economy and International
Relations with the Russian Academy of Sciences, member
of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Arbatov
presented his book The Equation of Security devoted
to Russia’s international policies and security
issues.
Member of YABLOKO’s Political
Committee, member of the first Russian parliament
and one of the authors of the Russian Constitution
Viktor Sheinis presents his works: a two-volume book
“The UP and Down of the Parliament”, as
well as a number of booklets on the urgent issues
of modern Russian history... |
| September 3,
2010 |
| Presentation
of the book “Yuri Schekochikhin. Three Epochs
of Russian Journalism”
Press Release, September 3,
2010.
The Faculty of Journalism of the Moscow
State University (MGU) and the Russian Journalists’
Union invite you to the presentation of the book “Yuri
Schekochikhin. Three Epochs of Russian Journalism”
(by Mediamir publishing house). The presentation will
take place in the Marble Hall of the Central House
of Journalist on Friday, September 3, at 5 p.m.
Yuri Schekochikhin, member of the
YABLOKO party and MP, was one of the pillars of Russia’s
investigative journalism. He was murdered in 2003.
The book contains collection of Yuri
Schekochikhin’s articles from Komsomolskaya
Pravda (1970s), Literatunaya gazeta (1980s and early
1990s) and Novaya Gazeta (1996-2003). The book will
be presented by a legend of Russian journalism, President
of the Journalist Faculty of the Moscow State University
Yasen Zasursky and Chair of the Journalists’
Union Vsevolod Bogdanov.YABLOKO’s
Chair Sergei Mitrokhin, YABLOKO’s founder and
member of Political Committee Grigory Yavlinsky, and
Executive Secretary of YABLOKO’s Political Committee
Galina Mikhaloyva will participate in the presentation.
Address: Arbatskaya metro station, Nikitsky Boulvard
8A
|
| Mitrokhin
wins over Zhirinovsky in the debates
Press Release, September 3,
2010.
According to the votings of the views,
Sergei Mitrokhin won over Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the
leader of the LDPR party, in the television debates
at the Russia-1 channel. The debates were devoted
to the growth of food prices in Russia. In the Moscow
region 27,200 viewers voted for YABLOKO’s leader,
and 16,500 for Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The voting was
held via telephone calls and sms.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed to freeze
price on all the socially important food-stuffs.
However, YABLOKO’s viewpoint won over: Mitrokhin insisted
that market methods should be applied when combating
price growth. Such methods include interventions from
the Grain Fund and organisation of grain exchanges
at electronic platforms which will be free from mediators...
|
| YABLOKO
paid tribute to the victims of the act of terror in
Beslan school
Press Release, September 3,
2010.
On September 3 the delegation of the
Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO participated
in the memory action of the tragedy of hostages in
Beslan school No 1, North Ossetia. The delegation
was led by YABLOKO’s Chair Sergei Mitrokhin.
Six years ago on September 1, terrorists seized school
No 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, with all schoolchildren,
teachers and parents present at the ceremony of the
beginning of the school year. The act of terror took
the lives of 330 people (including 186 children).
Over 700 people were injured.
The action took place by the memorial for the victims
of the tragedy in Moscow by the Church of the Nativity
of the Blessed Virgin in Kulishki. A minute of silence
will be held at 1.05 p.m., when six years ago the
first explosion in the school No 1 in Beslan, took
place. After the minute of silence the delegation
laid flowers to the memorial and launched in the air
334 white balloons in memory of the 334 children killed...
|
| September 2,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
participates in the 23rd Moscow International Book
Fair
Press Release, September 2,
2010.
The YABLOKO party participates in
the 23rd Moscow International Book Fair which opened
in Moscow (The All-Russia Exhibition Centre, Pavilion
No 75, stand F58) on September 1. All the visitors
interested in politics, economics, human rights, defence
policies, protection of environment, etc. can get
books by founder of the party Dr.Grigory Yavlinsky,
members of Political Committee corresponding members
of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Arbatov
and Alexei Yablokov, Viktor Sheinis and other YABLOKO’s
leaders...
The authors will be available for
communication with the readers at the stand throughout
all the book fair days. Presentation of all YABLOKO’s
books will take place on Saturday September 4, the
authors will sign the books and answer the questions.
“We pay great attention
to our publishing programmes, as our voters and advocates
are all keen readers,” noted Sergei Mitrokhin. |
| YABLOKO
to pay tribute to the victims of the act of terror
in Beslan school
Press Release, September 2,
2010.
On September 3 (at 1 p.m.) the delegation
of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO will
lay flowers to the memorial of victims of the Beslan
tragedy.
Six years ago on September 1, terrorists
seized school No 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, with
all schoolchildren, teachers and parents present at
the ceremony of the beginning of the school year.
The act of terror took the lives of 330 people (including
186 children). Over 700 people were injured.
A minute of silence will be held at
1.05 p.m., when six years ago the first explosion
in the school No 1 in Beslan, took place. After the
minute of silence 330 air balloons will be launched
in the air in memory of the victims.
The ceremony will take place at the address: Moscow,
Solyanka 5/2.
|
| YABLOKO
proposes to reduce food-stuffs prices in Russia via
grain exchanges and interventions
Press Release, September 2,
2010.
“To prevent growth of prices
on bread, cereals and some other basic food-stuffs
it is necessary to urgently create grain exchanges,
where only grain and grain products producers will
get the right to register,” such a statement
was made by YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
to journalists earlier today. “This will prevent
boosting of prices by a chain of intermediaries, speculators
and one-day firms, that have been parasiting on the
agrarian sector,” Mitrokhin noted. According
to YABLOKO’s leader, creation of grain exchanges
will not involve any expenditures from the federal
budget, as “trades can take place at electronic
trading platforms organised by the Federal Anti-Monopoly
Agency”.
“Also today the state has a possibility to restrain
price growth by means of grain interventions from
the Grain Fund reserves, whereas part of these reserves
can be sold via exchanges.” “Application
of these two methods will lead to reduction of the
growth of prices on agricultural products in a very
short term,” Mitrokhin said... |
| September 1,
2010 |
|
The
Chelyabinsk branch of YABLOKO submitted voters’
signatures for registration in the regional election
campaign
Press Release, August 30,
2010.
The Chelyabinsk branch of YABLOKO
submitted 15,000 voters’ signatures for registration
in election campaign to the legislative assembly of
the Chelyabinsk region. The Electoral Commission will
have to adopt a decision on registration of the party
in the elections within 10 days.
In this campaign YABLOKO plans to
focus on the environment, which is one of the most
acute problems in the Southern Urals. YABLOKO’s
list is topped by a well-known ecologist Natalya Mironova.
The second slogan of the campaign is “Politics
is Women’s Business!” This human rights
issue is led by human rights Activist Farima Kobzhasarova... |
| YABLOKO
provided aid to children’s orphanage affected
by fires in the Moscow region
Press Release, August 30,
2010.
This summer Byvalino village, Moscow
region, was severely damaged by fire. All the buildings
by Saint Martyr Nikita Temple burnt down: children’s
school by the temple, canteen, archive, sewing shops
and prior’s cell. YABLOKO
collected money for aid for the victims of fires throughout
August. It was decided that part of these funds should
go on the purchase of sporting clothes and school
supplies for the sunday school, which lost virtually
everything during fire: pupils’ private belongings,
school supplies, toys and books...
|
| August 30, 2010 |
|
YABLOKO
proposed to elect PACE via direct vote
Press Release, August 30,
2010.
Such a proposal YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin put forward at the European Forum
Alpbach. The European Forum Alpbach is a kind of analogue
of the World Economic Forum in Davos, however, Alpbach
focuses on the problems of European integration.
According to Sergei Mitrokhin, the
first step in the way of Russia’s integration
should be raising of the role of the Council of Europe
and new principles of PACE formation. “The Council
of Europe should become an instrument for involving
Russia into the system of European values, European
standards in politics, economy, protection of human
rights and environment,” Sergei Mitrokhin said.
YABLOKO’s leader proposed to European politicians
to make CE more influential via direct elections to
PACE with mandatory control over elections in the
member states by the Council of Europe. Mitrokhin
is also certain that this would be also important
for Russia and its movement along democratic way of
development.
Debating with RF Ambassador in the EU Vladimir Chizov
YABLOKO’s leader raised an issue of development
of a common EU strategy towards Russia. According
to Sergei Mitrokhin, “this should be a consistent
EU strategy towards Russia based on integration rather
than confrontation”... |
| August 27, 2010 |
| We
demand to stop unlawful detentions and toughening of
sentences! Statement
by YABLOKO’s Chairman, August 26, 2010.
The Russian United
Democratic Party YABLOKO expresses its categorical
protest in connection with a court’s sentence to renowned
human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov. This sentence
is another example demonstrating the use of force
when citizens try to realise their constitutional
rights. Grave violations of the law and the use of
force in detentions and fraudulent evidence in trials
have become an everyday practice for the interior.
The courts acting in Stalin’s style are guided by
the idea that the law enforcement are always right
and protesting or dissenting citizens are necessarily
criminals. |
| YABLOKO
welcomes the decision by President Medvedev to suspend
works in the Khimki Forest Press
Release, August 26, 2010.
“The YABLOKO party
welcomes the decision by President Medvedev to suspend
works in the Khimki Forest. We hope that the route
of the new highway Moscow – St.Petersburg will be
revised,” said YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
Mitrokhin also noted that YABLOKO
has been fighting against the present project of the
highway envisaging cutting of a substantial part of
the Khimki Forest for three years already, since this
project emerged.
|
| August 24, 2010 |
|
YABLOKO
conducted an action against nuclear waste imports
into Russia
Press Release, August 24,
2010.
YABLOKO’s activists conducted an action
against nuclear waste imports from Germany into Russia
by the German Embassy in Moscow today. YABLOKO
has been consistently opposing the plans of the Russian
government to import nuclear waste for procession
and storage stating lack of transparency and control,
corruption and terrorists’ threats.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
and Executive Secretary of YABLOKO’s Political Committee
Galina Mikhalyova handed to representative of the
Embassy Kirsch York YABLOKO’s address to the German
government calling to abrogate the decision of exporting
German nuclear waste into Russia...
|
| August 23, 2010 |
|
Action
against imports of German nuclear waste into Russia
to take place on August 24
Press Release, August 23,
2010.
YABLOKO will conduct an action against
imports of nuclear waste from Germany into Russia
by the German Embassy in Moscow on August 24, at 1
p.m. It is planned that 951 fuel slugs from a research
nuclear reactor from Rossendorf near Drezden will
be sent to Novouralsk, Russia.
The participants of the action are
going to hand to the Ambassador their address to German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and German two federal ministers
– Economic Minister Reiner Bruederle and Minister
of Environment Norbert Ruetten – with a request
to abolish nuclear waste imports into Russia. According
to German laws, the federal government has the right
to veto the decisions adopted by the lands governments...
|
| August 20, 2010 |
|
YABLOKO’s
MP of the Tula City Duma faces three years of imprisonment
for his criticism of the Governor
Press Release, August 17,
2010.
Criminal proceedings on a libel case
(Ed. In Russia persecutions on a libel case may be
launched both in the civil and the criminal proceedings)
were launched against YABLOKO’s deputy of the
Tula City Duma Vladimir Timakov for his alleged libel
against Governor of the Tula Region Vyachslav Dudka.
Timakov faces up to three years of imprisonment in
accordance with Article 129 of the Criminal Code.
Vladimir Timakov was the only politician
in the region who dared to criticize the Governor.
According to Timakov, mechanisms of civil and political
control over the executive branch have been completely
dismantled in the region for the past five years,
which facilitates corruption. Timakov holds the Governor
responsible for record high corruption in the region...
|
| August 18, 2010 |
|
The
Electoral Commission of the Chelyabinsk Region validated
YABLOKO's list of candidates for regional election
Press Release, August 17,
2010.
On August 17 the Electoral Commission
of the Chelyabinsk Region validated YABLOKO's list
of candidates for elections to the regional Legislative
Assembly. YABLOKO will have to collect 15,000 to confirm
its rights to participate in the October elections.
YABLOKO’s list in the part of regional elections
is topped by two renowned women: Natalya Mitronova,
Chair of the Southern Urals Movement For Nuclear Safety
and Fatima Kobzhasarova, Chair of the Chelyabisnk
City Women’s Movement Fatima...
|
|
Court’s
sentence to Sergei Makhnatkin is unjust
Statement by YABLOKO's Chairman,
August 16, 2010.
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO considers Sergei Makhnatkin (Ed. A passer-by
arrested during breaking of a peaceful protest action
in the centre of Moscow on December 31, 2010, who
tried to protect a woman from violence by the police
and sentenced to two years of imprisonment under a
pretext of using violence against police) unfairly
and unjustly convicted.
Police officers have been systematically
demonstrating their extremely low qualification in
dealing with unauthorized peaceful public actions,
their inability to solve tasks without violence bordering
on cruelty against women, elderly citizens and passers-by...
|
| August 17, 2010 |
|
Radiological
situation in Russia should be taken under control
Statement by YABLOKO's Chairman,
August 13, 2010.
The YABLOKO Party has repeatedly drawn
attention to the unacceptable negligence by the Russian
authorities to ensuring of environmental safety of
the population. Today we once again are drawing the
attention of the authorities and the citizens to the
danger of possible additional radiation exposure caused
by the pyrogenic spread of radionuclides. Forest fires
in Russia have already reached the Bryansk forests
contaminated by Chernobyl’s fallout, and the
forests around the city of Ozersk in the Chelyabinsk
region polluted by the plutonium productions...
|
|
Sergei
Mitrokhin demands from Public Prosecutor to file a
criminal case against head of the company felling
trees in Khimki Forest
Press Release, August 16,
2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
demanded from Public Prosecutor to file a criminal
case against Alexander Semchenko, head of the Teplotekhnik
company felling trees in Khimki Forest. In his interview
to Komsomolskaya Pravda paper Semchenko told that
he had organised an attack of football fans on the
defenders of the forest.
Semchenko also admitted that he had
employed a group of persons for provocations against
ecologists and other citizens...
|
|
YABLOKO
launches election campaign in the Sebezhsky District
of the Pskov Region
Press Release, August 16,
2010.
..."In this campaign I am protecting
my team mates. This is a principled position, and
we had enough grounds for adopting of such a decision.
The YABLOKO party guarantees to all the members of
the team, candidates in elections in the Sebezhsky
District its political and legal protection. If needed
all the forces of the party, including applications
to regional and federal law enforcement bodies will
be involved for such a defence,” Schlosberg
said. He also added that pressure on elections commissions
is inadmissible and unlawful, and Russian law envisages
criminal persecution for such actions"...
|
| August 9, 2010 |
|
15,000
prisoners can burn alive
Press Release, August 9, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
demands from Minister of Extraordinary Situations
Sergei Shoigu and President of the Republic of Mordovia
Nikolai Merkushkin to adopt urgent measures for evacuation
of the prisoners from the Potma prison camp encircled
by forest fires. At present
Mitrokhin is preparing an application to the Public
Prosecutor demanding to conduct an audit on liquidation
of the Potma-Barashyevo railroad which connected over
20 camps, and basing on the results of the audit to
file a criminal case against the heads of the Federal
Service for Execution of Punishment. Due to dismantling
of the railroad 15,000 prisoners can die in fires...
|
|
Web-site
providing information on fires in the Nizhni Novgorod
Region killed before Governor’s inauguration
Press Release, August 8, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
called Governor of the Nizhni Novgorod Region Vlary
Shantsev to take urgent measures for restoration of
the regional web-site The Virtual Wyksa www.wyksa.ru
which had been the only source of information for
the population on terrible fires in the Wyksunsky
District of the region. From August 5 on the threashold
of Shantsev’s inauguration the web-site had
been confronting continuous DDoS-attack, and, consequently,
ceased to function. “Such
‘killing’ of the web-site helping to eliminate
fires means killing of people,” runs Mitrokhin’s
letter to the Governor. According to Mitrokhin, if
Governor’s facilitation in restoring of the
web-site, will mean not only a very step in fighting
the fires, but will also clear the Administration
off the suspicions in involvement in the hackers’
attack...
|
|
Women
top YABLOKO’s election list in the Chelyabinsk
region
Press Release, August 7, 2010.
Women topped YABLOKO’s list
of candidates for elections to the Legislative Assembly
of the Chelyabinsk region scheduled on October 10.
Such a decision was adopted by the regional conference
of the party which took place on August 7...The conference
also nominated Oleg Mukharlamov YABLOKO’s candidate
to the post of the head of Bredinskly District of
the Chelyabinsk Region...
|
| August 6, 2010 |
|
Weapons
of mass destruction have no place on the planet!
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
August 6, 2010.
The memory of the dozens of thousands
people killed by the nuclear tornado in those August
days of 1945 calls for our increased efforts so that
to achieve as soon as possible complete prohibition
of all forms of weapons of mass destruction.
The end of the Cold War and fabulous
material and human resources wasted by the mankind
for a dangerous confrontation set a new challenge
for the world: finding other methods and techniques
for provision of national security that would not
involve elimination of people.
In the 21st century the global security,
including national security systems of the states
of the globe, represents above all the need to address
common human and global problems of climate change,
chemical and biological pollution and other negative
effects of modern civilisation...
|
| August 5, 2010 |
|
Yevgenia
Chirikova, her aid and YABLOKO’s activist detained
and taken to court
Press Release, August 5, 2010.
Leader of the Movement in Protection
of the Khimki Forest Yevgenia Chirikova, her aid Yaroslav
Nikienko and YABLOKO’s activist and defender
of Chirikova Artur Grokhovsky have been just detained
when leaving the Khimki police department where Chirikova
has been interrogated and are being taken to court.
According to Grokhovsky, the court of the first instance
will hear the case of disobeying the police when police
was dispersing the activists from ecologists’
camp on July 28. Then police accused ecologists of
burning fires. The detained were escorted to the local
police department where they were detained for nine
hours. The following day only ecologist Elena Maksimova
was summoned to court.
|
|
Sergei Mitrokhin to President Medvedev: felling of forest
in Khimki is fire hazardous Press
Release, August 5, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
urged Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to establish
a moratorium on the felling of forests in the Khimki
area "at least until the end of fires and lifting
of the of the emergency situation regime in the Moscow
region." The photographs
attached to the letter show the signs of fire-hazardous
activities in the work of woodcutters and securities
protecting them, in particular, a fire they had made
in their camp and cans with fuel for chainsaws simply
scattered throughout the clearance.
"In spite of the order by the
Moscow Region Governor Boris Gromov on limiting access
of citizens to forests in the Moscow region, dozens
of voluntary assistants to the Teplotekhnik company
are supporting felling of the forest and their work
can also contribute to fire development,” runs
the statement... |
|
YABLOKO conducted a picket in support of Yevgenia Chirikova
Press Release, August 4, 2010.
YABLOKO’s activists Olga Ushakova
and Andrei Lazaryev conducted picketing of the Interior
Affairs Department of the Moscow Region where the
police took today Yevgenia Chirikova for interrogation.
YABLOKO’s activists demanded to release the ecologist.
After the end of a press-conference
in the Independent Press Centre the police virtually
kidnapped Chirikova on the eyes of journalists. Without
giving any explanations three policemen from the OMON
division (the riot police) twisting her arms took
Chirikova to their car (strange, but the car number
was ordinary, not one of the special numbers belonging
to police) while journalists and ecologists were pushed
off with police chains... |
| August 4, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
picket: “Heads of the Khimki police to trial!”
Press
Release, August 3, 2010.
...“We have such a situation
in Khimki that the smallest gathering of people is
prohibited and dispersed, while the efficiency of
the police work from the point of view of the law
and the citizens has been falling towards zero,”
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin told in his
speech at the picket. According to Mitrokhin, an attack
against journalist Mikhail Beketov is still uninvestigated
(editor-in-chief of and independent Khimki Pravda
paper defending the Khimki Forest who was beaten virtually
to death and left to die. To-date Beketov is handicapped),
and none of the policemen dared to opposed the attack
of hooligans against the Khimki administration. “The
Khimki police is not simply exercising arbitrary rule,
it is even dangerous for the society,” Mitrokhin
added...
“Now we have a so-called “mini-Stalinism”
in Khimki: they can detain a person on the street
under faked pretexts and get him imprisoned. We had
this in our history only in Stalin’s period,”
the ecologist said. She also said that the ecologists
were not protesting against construction of a highway
in general, “We only want the highway to change
its route and go past the forest”. This is especially
important, she added, when we have such extremely
hot summer and many forests are on fire. “We
should preserve every tree,” Chirikiva said... |
| August 3, 2010 |
| Young
liberals from all over the world to gather in St.Petersburg
Press
Release, August 3, 2010.
An Executive Committee meeting and
an Extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of
International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY)
will take place in St.Petersburg on August 6-8. Representatives
from over 40 countries will come to St.Petersburg.
The meeting will be opened by Bart
Woord, IFLRY President, Nikolai Rybakov, deputy head
of St.Petersburg YABLOKO’s branch and Alexander
Gudimov, Chair of St.Petersburg Youth YABLOKO. The
participants will discuss development of democracy
and liberalism.
Several panels will be devoted to
Russia... |
|
Court ruled out Sergei Mitrokhin guilty of disobeying
police orders. YABLOKO’s protest action
Press Release, August 3, 2010.
Yesterday court ruled out that Sergei
Mitrokhin was guilty of disobeying police orders and
organization of unsanctioned rally in defence of the
Khimki Forest and sentenced to a fine RUR 500. The
court’s decision stated that Sergei Mitrokhin
organized an unsanctioned rally. When a policeman,
according to the court’s statement, came up
to him, gave his name and politely asked to leave
the site of action, Mitrokhin refused to do this disobeying
the police.The court included into the case a video
material showing only policemen taking Mitrokhin into
the police car. Moreover the video recording had been
done from a long distance...
...At this moment YABLOKO is picketing
by the Criminal Police Department of the Moscow Region
protesting against arbitrary rule of the Khimki police.
The activists are holding slogans “Heads of
the Khimki police to trial!”, “Put an
end to arbitrary rule by the Khimki police!”...
|
| August 2, 2010 |
|
Mitrokhin is facing 15 days of arrest. Russia’s Ombudsman
notified of detentions in Khimki
Press Release, August 2, 2010.
...“The second charge was fabricated
right after I demanded to release me, as the first
charge had already been announced,” Mitrokhin said.
He also noted that the second charge may be needed
so that to convoy him to court.
It should be also noted that the six
activists with the same charges and detained together
with Mitrokhin have been still kept in the police
department for over three hours already in violation
of the law. |
|
The riot police breaks the rally of the defenders of
the Khimki Forest, YABLOKO’s leader detained
Press Release, August 2, 2010.
...Ten minutes after the meeting of
the ecologists began the police came to the site and
began detaining all the men present at the meeting.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin was one of the first
detainees. Wringing his hands the policemen forced
him to come into their car making him sit on the floor,
virtually in the luggage compartment... |
| More
detains of the defenders of the Khimki Forest
Press Release, July 31, 2010.
One of the defenders of the Khimki
Forest Gennadi Rogozin was detained by police for
the second time on July 31.
On July 28 the riot police (OMON)
broke into the defenders’ camp. Nine ecologists
were kept in the police department throughout the
whole night and driven to court the following morning.
However, the judge heard only one case – that
of Elena Maksimova – the rest were released
without issuing any notifications of summoning them
to court to some other date.
On the same evening the activists
reported being under police surveillance. Policemen
visited the activists’ homes and questioning
their next-of-kin about the whereabouts of the activists.
|
| July 30, 2010 |
| Police
begins persecutions against the defenders of the Khimki
Forest
Press Release, July 30, 2010.
Police has begun persecution of the
activists from the "In defense of the Khimki
Forest" movement and Euvgenia Chirikova, the
movement’s leader. According to the defenders
of the forest, yesterday they found out that they
were under surveillance, police officers came to their
homes without informing their relatives of the purpose
of the visit. Also the activists did not get any official
notifications from the police.
"Yesterday, shortly after we came out of the
court of the Khimki town, we found our that we were
under surveillance. It a stout man in a white suit.
However, we managed to escape him: luckily we quickly
got into a taxi and headed to Moscow", Yaroslav
Nikitenko, Aid of Euvgenia Chirikova said... |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin applied to Prime Minister Putin and Public
Prosecutor General Chaika in view of unlawful cutting
of the Khimki Forest
Press Release, July 30, 2010.
Today on July 30, YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin applied to Prime Minister
Putin and Public Prosecutor General Chaika in view
of unlawful cutting of the Khimki Forest.
According to the federal law "On
Highways”, "cutting of the woods is only
possible after obtaining a permission for construction
of a highway. The Forestry Code requires that every
user of the forests should obtain a land declaration.
The normative acts of the town of Khimki require obtaining
of a special cutting ticket, which should be supplied
with a dendroplan and a tally sheet. According to
our data, all of these documents are missing, thus
cutting of the woods is unlawful,” runs Mitrokhin’s
letter to Public Prosecutor General... |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin stopped cutting of the trees in the Khimki
Forest
Press Release, July 30, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
and party activists once again managed to stop cutting
of the woods in the Khimki Forest.
Mitrokhin told the workers about the
order of Public Prosecutor to stop all the works.
After this the driver of a harvester stopped his work
and was going to leave the site. However, one of the
guards from the private security company tried to
stop him, however, the driver refused to resume work.
At the same time the other guards were calling their
chiefs... |
| The
Phobos company continues eliminating the Khimki Forest
despite Public Prosecutor’s ban
Press Release, July 30, 2010.
Despite Public Prosecutor’s
ban the workers of the Phobos company constructing
the Moscow-St.Petersburg highway continue cutting
of the Khimki forest. Vyacheslav Sorokin, whose house
is located in 200 meters from the Khimki Forest, informed
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin of it today... |
| July 29, 2010 |
| Ecologists
and civil activists detained in the Khimki Forest
are facing 15 days of arrest
Press Release, July 29, 2010.
At present YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin is in Public Prosecutor’s office
in Khimki filing an application of unlawful actions
by the police.
The police confiscated mobile phones
of nine detained ecologists and journalists, thus
depriving them of an opportunity to get in touch with
lawyers and get a legal consultation.
The police officer on duty told Mitrokhin
that confiscation of mobile phones was lawful, and
the activists are kept in the wards. The police issued
protocols of administrative violation (disobeying
the police orders) against them, which can involve
such punishment as 15 days of arrest. The leader of
the defenders of the Khimki Forest Yevgenia Chirikova
(who is one of the nine detained ecologists) managed
to tell Mitrokhin that the policemen referred to an
order of the Moscow Region Governor Boris Gromov who
“had prohibited any persons to appear in the
Forest”... |
| Police
breaks into ecologists’ camp
Press Release, July 28, 2010.
At night of July 28 special riot police
(OMON) broke into the camp of the Khimki Forest defenders
made close to the cutting site. The police detained
16 persons, including the leader of the ecologist
Yevgeniya Chirikova and five journalists.
However, YABLOKO and ecologists continue
defending the Khimki Forest. YABLOKO’s experts
state that the highway Moscow – St.Petersburg
can well take one of the alternative routs without
going through the Khimki Forest which is acting as
the “lungs” of the region. Cutting of
the woods has been held without any permits. Representatives
of the construction company did not come to the scheduled
meeting with the ecologists and residents of Khimki
where they had promised to show “all the due
permits”. |
| Public
hearings on the Khimki Forest postponed
Press Release, July 28, 2010.
The meeting of the residents of the
Khimki city, the Moscow regions, and Sergei Mitrokhin
with representatives of OOO Teplotekhnik conducting
cutting of the woods in the Khimki Forest is postponed
for an undetermined period.
At the agreed time (June 28, 5 p.m.)
the residents of the city and YABLOKO’s leader
and party activists came to the meeting. However,
the doors were closed and a sheet of paper notifying
that the meeting is “postponed” was pinned
on the doors. The notification gave no time or date
of the new meeting. |
| July 28, 2010 |
|
Sergei Mitrokhin and the residents of the Presnya
district, Moscow, will fill up the pit of an unlawful
construction site
Press Release, July 28, 2010.
...In early May 2010, head of the
Moscow construction complex Vladimir Resin said that
the contract with the developer - the Phobos company
– was dissolved. The local authority also issued
an order to stop the works. However, these orders
did not stop the Phobos construction company.
The residents of the neighbouring houses are afraid
that their houses may give cracks and, consequently
be ruined due to large-scale construction works in
the old district of the city. After the workers were
ousted by police the residents decided to fill in
the excavated pit with earth. On
Thursday, July 29, Sergei Mitrokhin will meet with
the residents of the district and also participate
in filling in the pit with earth...
|
| YABLOKO
to participate in public hearings on the Khimki Forest
Press Release, July 28, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
and party activists will participate in the meeting
of the residents of the Khimki district with representatives
of a contracting company eliminating the Khimki Forest.
The hearings will take place at 5 p.m. in the Dom
Kulturi Rodina (address: Khimki, Leninsky prospect
2, by the Khimki railway station in the Leo Tolstoy
Park).
Please note that tonight despite an
announced moratorium on construction works and cutting
of the woods, OAO Teplotekhnik continued cutting of
the trees. According to the witnesses the work was
conducted under spotlights. It is expected that after
public hearings the participants of the meeting will
go to the place of cuttings so that to stop unlawful
works.
|
| July 27, 2010 |
| Unlawful
works in the place of destructed architectural heritage
stopped
Press Release, July 26, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
stopped construction works in the place of destructed
architectural heritage in Tishinsky lane, Moscow.
Despite a ban of the Moscow regulator the builders
began excavation works. After arrival of Sergei Mitrokhin
the workers disappeared.
The building at Bolshoi Tishinsky
30/44 building 1, was built in the early 20th century
by architect Nirnzeye and was almost completely destroyed
in 2008. Under a pretext of renovation the construction
company left only a corner wall of the building. The
residents of the area jointly with the YABLOKO party
have been fighting against construction of a new building
with a multi-level underground garage on the site
of the destructed monument of architecture for two
years. In early May 2010, head of the Moscow construction
complex Vladimir Resin said that the contract with
the developer - the Phobos company – was dissolved...
|
| July 26, 2010 |
| A
flash game “Medvedev, do not be a puppet!”
July 26, 2010. |
| YABLOKO's
activist detained in the Red Square
Press Release, July 26, 2010.
Today on July 26, a one-person picketing
under the slogan “Medvedev, do not be a FSB
puppet!” was conducted at the Red Square. YABLOKO’s
Artur Grokhovsky was holding a placard picturing the
“KGB men” - Felix Dzerzhinsky, Lavrenty
Beria and Vladimir Putin – and a photograph
of President Dmitry Medvedev tied to their fingers.
YABLOKO called the President not to
sign the law broadening of the proxies of secret services.
The police detained the activist who was picketing
at the Red Square, broke the placard picturing the
“KGB men” and their “puppet”
President Medvedev. Also, allegedly a FSB (Federal
Security Service) officer tried to wipe out all the
records from the journalists’ cameras and recorders
and also tried to break a camera...
|
| The
123 Agreement will turn Russia into the world burial
of nuclear waste
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
July 24, 2010.
The YABLOKO party has always opposed
imports of nuclear waste into Russia. It was the only
parliamentary party which in 2000 jointly voted against
introduction of changes into the law allowing for
imports of radioactive waste into Russia. Even at
that time we were saying “we should not turn
Russia into an international radioactive waste dump
even for much money!” However, such changes
in the law were made under the pressure from the Russian
Atomic Agency (Rosatom), despite of the fact that
90 per cent of Russian citizens are against imports
of radioactive waste into Russia.
The 123 Agreement on cooperation with
Russia in the nuclear field has been considered by
US Congress at present. In case it is approved, Russia
will be able to import US radioactive waste from Taiwan,
Japan, South Korea and many other countries, under
a formal pretext of recycling and virtually for its
burial.
Submitting the bill into Congress
US President said, “implementation of this agreement
does not bear any risks for our security…”
Such care of US President of his country security
inspires respect, while the Russian authorities’
care of the security of their country arises much
doubt and concern... |
| July 23, 2010 |
| Off
with your hands from the defenders of the Khimki Forest!
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
July 23, 2010.
...The Russian United Democratic
Party YABLOKO calls the human rights community and
democratic politicians to defend the constitutional
rights of the Khimki activists and render them all
possible assistance. This is the case, when Russia’s
civil society has virtually shown itself and dared
to resist the big money and the state machinery. Its
support in this confrontation is far more important
than hundreds of rallies in defense of democracy in
general.
We also fully support the requirements
of the defenders of the Khimki Forest. Destruction
of a unique natural complex providing fresh air to
the capital of Russia will bring to nothing all the
talks about modernization and demonstrate to Russian
citizens and the entire world the inability of the
Russian state to modernise...
|
| Sergei
Mitrokhin: President should not become a secret services’
puppet
Press Release, July 23, 2010.
Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the YABLOKO
party, called Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev
not to sign the law on broadening of the proxies of
the FSB (Federal Security Service) adopted in three
readings by the State Duma (the lower chamber of the
Russian parliament) and approved by the Federation
Council (the upper chamber).
“President’s reputation
is at stake here, Sergei Mitrokhin said. – This
is the moment of truth for the President: either he
really targets at making Russia a modern law-governed
state or all his speeches about modernization is a
part of a cover operation developed within the Federal
Security Bureau”...
|
| An
action against broadening of proxies of secret services
took part by St.Petersburg Federal Security Service
building
Press Release, July 22, 2010.
An unsanctioned action against broadening
of proxies of secret services was held by Youth YABLOKO
activists in St.Petsersburg. The action was held in
front of the Big House (the Federal Security Service
building in St.Petersburg, Liteyniy 4).
Two young activists were dressed as
prisoners with inscriptions “A Victim of the Regime”
on their clothes. Three other activists acting as
KGB men shot the victims with red paint by the entrance
to the FSB building. “We have shown the pinnacle of
this amendment to the FSB law when ordinary people
will become potential prisoners as it was in 1937
[under Stalin],” Alexander Gudimov, leader of St.Petersburg
Youth YABLOKO said. “Then [in 1937] they had special
proxies, however, they used these against people and
not against criminals,” he added...
|
| July 22, 2010 |
| The
policeman who had to deal with alleged “disobeying”
by YABLOKO’s activist has given his evidence
to court
Press Release, July 22, 2010.
A Moscow court of the first instance
continues hearings on Artur Grokhovsky’s case.
Grokhovsky is accused of “disobeying a lawful
demand” of the police during the action against
broadening of secret services proxies held by the
State Duma on July 9. A policeman who detained “disobeying”
Grokhovsky has given his evidence in court today...
|
| The
judge watched the video of detention of YABLOKO’s
activist by the State Duma
Press Release, July 21, 2010.
On July 21 Judge Olga Borovkova during
the hearings of Artur Grokhovsky’s case watched
the video of detention of Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor
to YABLOKO’s Chairman. Grokhovsky is accused
of “disobeying a lawful demand” of the
police during the action against broadening of secret
services proxies held by the State Duma on July 9.
Grokhovsky is facing admoinsitrative arrest up to
15 days...
|
| Action
in memory of Natalya Estemirova took place in Ekaterinburg
hro.org, July 21, 2010.
A picket organized by the regional
Memorial branch in memory of human rights activist
Memorial’s Natalya Estemirova kidnapped in Grozny,
Chechnya, and killed in Ingushetia on July 15, 2009,
took place in Ekaterinburg.
Maxim Petlin, leader of Sverdlovsk
YABLOKO, Alexander Kalkh, Chair of the Perm Memorial
branch, Tatyana Merzlyakova, Ombudsman in the Sverdlovsk
region, activists of the Movement Against Violence
(Glec Edelyev) and Interregional Centre for Human
Rights (Vladimir Shaklein) participated in the picketing.
The picket ended by a demonstration along the main
street of the city and demonstration of a documentary
“Aldy: Without Limitations Period” (a
joint production by Memorial and YABLOKO) devoted
to killings of civilians on February 5, 2000, the
Noviye Aldy village in Chechnya. The film basis on
the materials obtained by Natasha Estemirova with
a risk to her life...
|
| July 20, 2010 |
| A
mass-scale rally for protection of the environment
took place in Tuapse
Press Release, July 19, 2010.
From 2 to 3 thousand people, according
to different estimates, gathered for a rally in protection
of environment in Tuapse (a city on the Black Sea)
on July 18. The rally was organised by an initiative
group headed by coordinator of the Environmental Watch
in the North Caucasus and member of the YABLOKO party
Andrei Rudomakha.
The participants of the rally demanded
to conduct a referendum on construction of a terminal
for the EuroChem chemical company in the Tuapse port,
as well as stop oil extraction at the Black Sea shelf.
A broad-scale campaign launched by
the local authorities and targeted at disruption of
the rally was held on the threshold of the public
action...
|
| Action
in memory of Natalya Estemirova took place in Nevsky
Prospect, St.Petersburg
Press Release, July 16, 2010.
An action in memory of renowned human
rights activist Natalya Estemirova kidnapped and murdered
a year ago in took place in Nevsky Prospect, St.Petersburg,
on July 16, 2010. Activists from the YABLOKO party,
Memorial and The House of Peace and Non-Violence dressed
in T-shirts with a photograph of Natalya marched along
the main street of the city Nevsky prospect and distributed
leaflets about the killed human rights activist among
passers-by. The latter asked questions about Natalya
and about the news of the investigation...
|
| July 19, 2010 |
| One-person
picketing against broadening of the competence of
secret services conducted by the Federation Council
Press Release, July 19, 2010.
One-person picketing against broadening
of the competence of secret services was conducted
by the Federation Council (the upper chamber of the
Russian parliament) as the latter had to examine the
draft law today on July 19. Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor
to YABLOKO’s Chairman, was holding a huge placard
(1.5 x 1 meters) picturing Felix Dzerzhinsky, the
head of the KGB, Lavrenty Beria, Stalin’s closest
accomplice standing behind mass-scale reprisals and
Vladimir Putin with an inscription “The KGB
men are for it!”...
|
| Ecologists
block the driver who attacked the leader of the Movement
in Protection of the Khimki Forest
Press Release, July 19, 2010.
The activists protecting the Khimki
forest made a camp in the place of cutting of the
woods and are now blocking a car of a stranger who
attacked Eugenia Chirikova, the leader of the Movement
in Protection of the Khimki Forest, and almost hit
her with his car.
On July 16 this man drove to the camp in a silver
KIA jeep (No B 104 YE 98). Coming out of the car the
man began hitting Eugenia on the hands trying to make
her drop her mobile phone. Then he jumped into his
car and tried to knock her down with his car, Eugenia
managed to escape only by a miracle...
|
| In
protection of the Khimki Forest and its defenders
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
July 17, 2010.
...Environmental safety of several
thousands of the residents of the Khimki area is swapped
for profit, unraparable damage to the ecological system
of the Moscow region. For the sake of profits the
authorities are covering the criminals: the bandits
who made handicapped Mikhail Bekotov, Editor-in-Chief
of the Khimki Pravda paper courageously defending
the Khimki Forest, have not been found.
Elections to the federal parliament will come soon.
We are drawing the attention of the Muscovites and
the residents of the Moscow region to the fact that
the attack against the Khimki Forest is supported
by the omnipresent [progovernmental] United Russia
party and its leader Vladimir Putin. Thus, hey once
again demonstrate that the commercial interests of
the few are more important than care of the health
and well-being of many...
|
| July16, 2010 |
| Young
YABLOKO activists detained for protesting against
the secret services law by the parliament
Press Release, July 16, 2010.
Three activists of the Youth YABLOKO
were detained by police by the State Duma (the Russian
parliament) when attempting to conduct a protest action
against introduction of amendments broadening the
competence of secret services (FSB).
Today deputies of the State Duma are
to consider the draft law in the final third reading.
YABLOKO’s activists came to the State Duma disguised
as prisoners with a placard, a scaling ladder and
leaflets...
|
| YABLOKO’s
activists convicted for a one-person picket against
the new law on secret services
Press Release, July 15, 2010.
Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch
of YABLOKO Galina Mikhalyova and young YABLOKO’s
activist Igor Savyolov were found guilty of committing
a misdemeanor and fined 500 rubles each. The cases
of the other two activists - Maxim Kruglov and Arthur
Grokhovsky - were postponed until July 23 as the policemen
were late for the trial.
The decision states violation of Article 20.2 of the
Code of Administrative Offences (Violation of the
set order in organsing or conducting a gathering,
rally, demonstration, march or picketing”).
YABLOKO’s activist had to stand
before court for holding a one-person picket by the
State Duma on June 11 - when the draft law for broadening
of the proxies of the secret service (FSB) was examined
by the Duma in the first reading. Galina Mikhalyova
stood by the walls of the State Duma with a placard
while of other party activists waiting for their turn
at a distance. The police detained
all the activists of YABLOKO despite the fact that
a one-person picketing was conducted only by Galina
Mikhalyova.
"The example of this particular
case demonstrates that our courts are biased and not
impartial. The court’s decision was not guided
by fraudulent administrative violation cases provided
by police rather than by Russian laws," Mikhalyova
said...
|
| Tula
City Duma deputy persecuted for his criticism of the
Governor’s work
Statement by the Tula branch
of YABLOKO, July 15, 2010.
The Tula regional branch of the YABLOKO
party expresses its deep concern with criminal prosecution
of deputy of the Tula City Duma from our party Vladimir
TImakov [launched under a pretext of a libel case].
Timakov gave his assessment of the
Governor’s work at his post.
Actually Timakov’s statements
are based on his believes, and, in our view, there
are no grounds for criminal prosecution in our opinion
no. The fact that the Investigation Committee with
the Public Prosecutor's Office in the Tula region
three times refused [the Governor] in launching a
criminal case for the lack of the elements of crime
[in such criticism] is one more proof of this.
In our opinion, this constitutes a
demonstrative political "bashing" of a dissenting
oppositional politician and journalist so that to
force him stop his activities and give up his believes...
|
| The
police finally returned impounded soft and hardware
to the Baikal Ecological Wave
Press Release, July 15, 2010.
The YABLOKO congratulates the staff
of the Baikal Ecological Wave who managed to prove
that impounding of computers and software from their
office was unlawful. The computers are returned, and
the Irkutsk police brought their apologizes to the
ecologists.
During the investigation it was confirmed
(however, this was obvious from the beginning): the
Baikal Ecological Weave used only licensed software...
|
| July15, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin: President crossed out the course towards
modernisation
Press Release, July 15, 2010.
“The President’s statement crosses
out the course towards modernisation he has proclaimed.
Amendments proposed to the law on the Federal Security
Service demonstrate that instead of building a modern
state in Russia the President has been restoring the
most archaic institutions of the totalitarian past,”
YABLOKO’s leader said.
According to Mitrokhin no one but
corrupted bureaucracy which is afraid of the people
and tries to maintain at any price its power and riches
accumulated with the help of this power needs these
amendments.
Today President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
said at a joint press-conference with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel that the draft law “has been developed
on his order”. However, the draft law was submitted
to the parliament by Chair of the Government Vladimir
Putin...
|
| The
Federal Anti-Monopoly Service turns 20
July 14, 2010.
Dear friends,
Please receive our congratulations
on the 20th anniversary of your work in the federal
Anti-Monopoly Service!
Throughout the years of its functioning,
especially led by a remarkable economist and a politician
of principle and our friend, Igor Artemyev, the Federal
Anti-Monopoly Service has become playing a significant
role in the economic and political life of the country,
fight against corruption and monopolies...
|
| European
Parliament members meet with YABLOKO’s leaders
Press Release, July 26, 2010.
On June 26 YABLOKO held a meeting
with the delegation of the European Liberals, Democrats
and Reformers party (ELDR) – Mrs. Annemie Neyts,
ELDR President, Mrs.Kristiina Ojuland, MEP, Mr. Michael
Jensen, member of Danish parliament and Mr.Robert
Plummer, ELDR Political Advisor.
Opening the meeting YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin proposed to discuss the prospects
of further cooperation between ELDR and ELDR full
member the YABLOKO party.
Member of YABLOKO’s Political
Committee Grigory Yavlinsky said that the EU has not
yet developed a single strategy for cooperation with
Russia, therefore development of such a strategy can
become a task of ELDR and its faction in the European
Parliament. And YABLOKO can help in development of
such a strategy. "The absence of a well-developed
European strategy as regards integration with Russia
is one of the key obstacles in development of relations
between Russia and Europe. YABLOKO’s proposals
and some provisions of our party programme could form
the basis for such a strategy," Yavlinsky said.
YABLOKO’s leaders also dwelled
upon some aspects of such a strategy. Thus, Sergei
Mitrokhin proposed to European liberals to more actively
support YABLOKO’s initiative on abolishing visas
between the EU and Russia. He called the visa regime
“a rudiment of the Iron Curtain preventing assimilation
of the European standards by the Russian citizens”...
|
| July14, 2010 |
| Judge
sends the cases of young YABLOKO activists to additional
investigation
Press Release, July 14, 2010.
Judge Olga Borovkova sent the cases
of three activists of the Youth branch of YABLOKO
(Kirill Goncharov, Vladislav Pankov and Igor Savyelov),
who had chained themselves on July 9 with handcuffs
to the fence of the State Duma in protest against
broadening of proxies of the Russian secret service
(FSB). The judge detected numerous violations in issuing
the protocols. Motivated decisions will be handed
to Stanislav Gorlov who defends the activists tomorrow.
Hearing of the case of the fourth activist Veronica
Belozerskikh has not yet been scheduled yet...
|
| Investigation
of Yuri Schekochikhin’s death should go on
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
July 3, 2010.
July 3 marks seven years since the
death of an outstanding journalist and fighter against
corruption Yuri Schekochikhin.
On this day the Russian United Democratic
Party YABLOKO considers it necessary to remind to
Russia’s leadership that the circumstances of
the death of Yuri Schekochikhin have not been determined.
The decision on termination of the
investigation adopted by the Investigation Committee
of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in 2009 demonstrates
inability or lack of desire of the present Russian
state to conduct a full-fledged investigation...
|
| July13, 2010 |
| Young
YABLOKO activists are facing 15 days of arrest
Press Release, July 9, 2010.
The detained activists of the Youth
YABLOKO and Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor to Sergei Mitrokhin,
are facing 15 days of arrest in accordance with Article
19.3 of the Administrative Violation Code “Non-obeying
to the lawful police order”.
Protocols on administrative violations by the activists
were made in the Tverkoye police station, Moscow.
“I access this as an act of moral pressure,”
Artur Grokhovsky said over the phone.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
told that this constituted an attempt of intimidation
of the activists as they had dared to oppose Vladimir
Putin’s initiative...”
|
| Activists
of the Youth YABLOKO enchained themselves with handcuffs
by the Russian parliament protesting against the new
security service law
Press Release, July 9, 2010.
Four activists of the Youth YABLOKO
were detained by police after they enchained themselves
with handcuffs by the State Duma (the Russian parliament)
protesting against the new security service (FSB,
the former KGB) law. Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor to
party Chair Sergei Mitrokhin, was also detained.
“YABLOKO has been conducting this action protesting
against adoption of the draft law broadening the proxies
of the FSB. Today deputies of the State Duma has to
examine the draft law in the second reading. Artur
Grokhovsky stood by the entrance to the parliament
building with a placard picturing Byeria (Stalin’s
main accomplice), Dzerzhinsky and Putin with an inscription
“Amendments to the FSB law – the KGB men are for it!”
with the signatures YABLOKO had collected against
this law...
|
| June 22, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
wins a case in the Constitutional Court
Press Release, June 22, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
expressed his satisfaction with the decision of the
Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on
the complaint from YABLOKO’s member Andrei Malitsky.
The Constitutional Court ruled out
that some provisions on the Russian Federaiton law
“On the Basic Guarantees of Franchise and the
Right to Referendum” connected with a ban for
the citizens residing in a foreign state to be members
of electoral commissions. Being a Russian citizen
Malitsky obtained in 2009 a residence permit in Lithuania.
Due to this fact he was expelled from a territorial
electoral commission in Moscow where he represented
YABLOKO’s interests...
|
| YABLOKO
conducted the “1,418 Candles in Memory of the
War” action in the Russian cities
Press Release, June 22, 2010.
YABLOKO’s activists conducted
memory actions in different Russian cities on the
night from June 21 to June 22, on the day of the 69th
anniversary of the beginning o the Great Patriotic
War (Ed. The term used in Russia and the CIS countries
to describe the period of 1941-1945 of the Second
World War, when Hilter invaded the USSR)... |
| June 21, 2010 |
| Memory
of the victims of the war is a part of personal genetic
memory
Press Release, June 21, 2010.
On June 22 at 4 a.m. representatives
of the Pskov regional branch of YABLOKO headed by
their Chair Lev Shlosberg will pay tribute to the
memory of the victims of the Second World War at the
Victory square by Eternal Flame. The activists will
lay flowers to the Grave of the Unknown Soldier and
light candles.
“Participation in this memorial
action is a civil and not a party action,” Lev
Shlosberg said. “This is an integral part of
a personal genetic memory of a person, as well as
genetic memory of the nation.” Party
symbols will not be used in the action.
|
| Grigory
Yavlinsky to visit Kirov on June 24
Press Release, June 20, 2010.
Renown Russian politician and economist,
one of the founders of the YABLOKO party and member
of YABLOKO’s Political Committee Dr.Grigory Yavlinsky
will visit Kirov on June 24.
The first event in his programme will
be a meeting with the public. Then Grigory Yavlinsky
will deliver a lecture “Modernisation of Russia’s
Economic and Political System” in the Vyatka State
University. A meeting of Grigory Yavlinsky and Governor
of the Kirov Region Nikita Belykh will take place
at 2 p.m. A press-conference will be organised after
the meeting. The closing event of the visit will be
Grigory Yavlinsky’s meeting with the activists of
the Kirov branch of the YABLOKO party...
|
| June 18, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
to light 1,418 candles in memory of the war
Press Release, June 18, 2010.
In the night from June 21 to June
22 (on the memory date when Hitler invaded the USSR)
YABLOKO’s activists will hold an action “1,418
candles for each day of war” to commemorate
the 69th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War of
the Soviet Union of 1941-1945...
In St.Petersburg YABLOKO’s activists
will light candles by the Blockade Ice-Hole where
the citizens took water during blockade (Fontanka
embankment 21) on June 22 at 4 a.m.
Traditional YABLOKO’s action “1,418 candles
for each day of war” has been taking place in
Moscow and St.Petersburg for several years already.
|
| June 17, 2010 |
| Oppositional
journalist’s house burnt in the Saratov region
Press Release, June 17, 2010.
The house of Editor-in-Chief of the
Ogni Povolzhiya (Lights of the Volga) newspaper and
member of the Regional Council of the Saratov branch
of YABLOKO Salimzhan Gaisin was burned on the night
of June 15. His daughter and son in law and their
two children managed to get out of the burning house.
A newly built house and an adjacent old building completely
burt out. YABLOKO expresses support of the colleague
and considers this accident as obviously of criminal
nature.
“We connect this not only with
the journalistic activity, but also with a pro-active
attitude and human rights activities by Salimzhan
Gaisin, who conducted numerous anti-corruption investigations,
revealed facts of abuse of power by local officials
and identified numerous violations of election law,”
runs the statement by the Bureau of the Saratov branch
of YABLOKO...
|
| June 16, 2010 |
| Svetlana
Kuznetsova, head of the Soldiers’ Mothers faction
on amendments to the law on the military service submitted
to the Russian parliament
Press Release, June 9, 2010.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, head of the Soldiers’
Mothers faction in the YABLOKO party, says that “YABLOKO
is categorically against the amendments referring
to a legalized “buy-out” from the army
service, as they are discriminatory and targeted at
commercialization of the army. The authors of the
amendments say that the state does not have enough
money for a contract-based army; whereas every such
one million roubles [about USD 30,000 paid by a young
person wishing to avoid mandatory military service]
will suffice for maintenance of two contract soldiers.
Since 2001 YABLOKO has been insisting that the state
has enough money on a contract army and our economists
can prove that”...
|
| June 15, 2010 |
| Action
against mandatory army conscription took place by
the Ministry of Defence
Press Release, June 15, 2010
Action against mandatory army conscription
organised by the Youth YABLOKO took place by the Ministry
of Defence on June 15. Ten YABLOKO’s activists
were holding a slogan “How many of us should
die so that you abolish mandatory army conscription?”
and also chanted “Away with mandatory army conscription,
let’s transfer to a contract conscription!”...
...The picket resumed at the Gogol
Boulvalrd. The organiser of the action Kirill Gontcharov
stated that incessant chain of deaths of young conscripts
made YABLOKO to hold such an action. He also noted
that “due to corruption only children from poor
families serve in the army”. “Instead
of defending our motherland our soldiers have to build
country houses for generals and clean water closets,”
he added. He also said that “harassment of subordinates
became a symbol of the Russian army”...
|
|
YABLOKO’s
leader made a speech at the Executive Committee of
Liberal International
Press Release, June 13, 2010
On June 11 YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin made a speech at the Executive Committee
of Liberal International in Berlin. As Sergei Mitrokhin’s
speech was scheduled in the agenda item “Human
Rights in the Authoritarian States”, he spoke
about police breaking YABLOKO’s picket by the
Russian parliament which was conducted against adoption
of the law “on preventive measures against extremism”,
as well as breaking of a peaceful rally on the Triumfalnaya
square in Moscow on May 31.
The participants of the Executive
Committee also received Sergei Mitrokhin’s report
“Russia and European Integration”. In
this report YABLOKO’s leader once again stressed
the necessity to work out a single strategy for EU
interaction with Russia, which should be based on
integration, rather than confrontation. According
to Mitrokhin, the first step in realisation of this
strategy would be introduction of a visa-free regime
between Russia and the European Union.
Another example of realization of this uniform strategy,
runs the report, may be the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Defence system (ABM) as a joint project of the RF
and NATO countries. “Both the West and Russia
will profit from such cooperation and lose from confrontation,
as democracy can not develop in anti-Western hysteria”,
Mitrokhin stressed.
The report also indicates that cooperation
between Russia and the European Union should take
place in the field of environmental safety too.
According to Mitrokhin, “the
present political and economic situation in the country
can be characterised as the ongoing stagnation which
began under Putin. Russia’s modernisation announced
by President Medvedev has been taking place in words
only”...
|
| June 11, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
activists arrested by the Russian parliament for picketing
against the FSB law finally released, however, are
facing a trial
Press Release, June 11, 2010.
..Major Brezhnev personally participated
in detaining Grokhovsky: first he dragged Artur to
the police car and then hit him in the belly. Now
Anton is heading to the hospital to certify the bruises.
Grokhovsky also told that in February
he had been already arrested by the same policeman
for one-person picketing. Due to the video recording
made by YABLOKO Grokhovsky was acquitted by the court
then. Grokhovsky hopes that the court will acquit
the activists this time too, as the action was also
recorded...
|
| Liberal
International to discuss arbitrary actions of Moscow
police in breaking YABLOKO's picket
Press Release, June 11, 2010.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
expressed his indignation with police breaking of
YABLOKO’s one-person picket and arresting the activists
protesting against the amendments to the law on the
Federal Security Service (former KGB) by the Russian
parliament building. No permission or coordination
with authorities is required for conducting one-person
pickets in accordance with the Russian law. Nevertheless
the picket was brutally broken and the activists were
arrested.
Mitrokhin said that actions by police
officers who arrested the activist holding the placard,
as well as three other activists who were standing
by were a rude violation of the Constitution and the
law “On assemblies, meetings, demonstrations and pickets”...
|
| Action
“Preventing Extremism” brutally broken
by police
Press Release, June 11, 2010.
Video, photos.
Action against introduction of amendments
on the law on the Federal Security Service (the former
KGB), which YABLOKO attempted to hold today by the
building of the State Duma (the Russian Parliament)
was brutally broken by police. Despite of the fact
that it was a one-person picketing (four activists
had to replace each other in turn) and did not require
any permissions or notifications from the authorities,
four YABLOKO’s activists were arrested and taken
to the local police department and a placard depicting
the head of KGB Felix Dzerzhinsky, the closest accomplice
of Stalin in setting terror in the country Lavrenty
Beria, and Vladimir Putin and bearing a the words
"The KGB people vote FOR it!" was confiscated.
On June 11, at 9.30 am, half an hour
before the plenary session the Russian parliament
had to start, First Deputy Chair of the Moscow Yabloko
Galina Mikhalyova took her place by the main entrance
to the parliament building with a placard depicting
Felix Dzerzhinsky, Lavrenty Beria and Vladimir Putin
against a black ground and a hand voting for them.
“The law on preventing extremism. The KGB people
vote FOR it!" ran the slogan under the picture.
The Russian parliament will discuss this draft law
in the first reading today...
|
| June 7, 2010 |
| Action
in memory of Larissa Yudina took place by Representation
of the Republic of Kalmykia in Moscow
Press Release, June 7, 2010
Today, on June 7, on the tragic anniversary
of the murder of leader of Kalmyk YABLOKO and oppositional
journalist Larissa Yudina took place by Representation
of the Republic of Kalmykia in Moscow. The participants
of the action demanded to release the names of those
who ordered the murder of Larissa Yudina, who, according
to YABLOKO’s data, were determined by the investigation.
“We can not rule out that [President of the
Republic] Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was the one who personally
ordered the murder,” Sergei Mitrokhin said at
the picket.
Today it is the 12th anniversary since
the murder of Larissa Yudina, the leader of Kalmyk
YABLOKO, editor-in-chief of Sovietskaya Kalmykia Segodnya
and main opponent of the President of the Republic
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. On this day YABLOKO’s activists
brought portraits of their murdered colleague and
lit candles by the Representation of the Republic
of Kalmykia in Moscow...
Mitrokhin promised that YABLOKO will
hold the action by Representation of the Republic
of Kalmykia every year until those who ordered the
murder are punished.
|
| Flash
mob in protection of the Lake Baikal at the Red Square
Press Release. June 5, 2010.
Video, photographs.
On June 5, the World Environment Day,
the activists of the YABLOKO party conducted a flash
mob at the Red Square. YABLOKO’s activists carried
a large white banner showing the Lake Baikal chanting
"Hands off of the Lake Baikal!" The same
slogan was printed on their shirts. However, this
march was broken by police and all the participants
of the action were taken to the police station. |
| YABLOKO
submits application dispute lawfulness of the recently
adopted General Plan of Moscow Development
Press Release. June 7, 2010
Today, on June 7, YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin submitted an application to the Moscow
City Court disputing lawfulness of the General Plan
of Moscow Development. Mitrokhin asks the court to
recognise adoption of the General Plan of Moscow Development
null and void.... |
| June 4, 2010 |
| On
June 7, 2010, YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
will start litigation in the Moscow City Court disputing
lawfulness of the General Plan of Moscow Development
Press Release. June 4, 2010
On Monday, June 7, 2010, YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin will start litigation in the
Moscow City Court disputing lawfulness of the General
Plan of Moscow Development. “The conclusion
of the state expertise was signed on December 22,
2009, a month after the draft General Plan of Moscow
Development was submitted to the Moscow City Duma.
This fact alone will suffice for abrogation, however,
in our statement we indicate a number of other procedural
violations,” Sergei Mitrokhin said... |
| YABLOKO’s
leader to visit Nizhni Novgorod
Press Release. June 4, 2010
On Saturday, June 5, YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin will visit Nizhni Novgorod.
As part of his mission, Mitrokhin
and political scientists and businessmen from Nizhny
Novgorod will take part in a roundtable discussion
"Environmental and political situation in Russia.
The upcoming elections in autumn 2010”. The
event will be held at the Higher School of Economics
from 09:30 to 10:40. Then Sergei Mitrokhin, will participate
in a press conference for regional journalists devoted
to the elections. The press conference will take place
in the Interfax office (beginning at 11:00).
Then YABLOKO’s leader Sergei
Mitrokhin and Chair YABLOKO’s Green Russia faction
Acad. Alexei Yablokov will conduct a picket against
the raising of the water level in the Cheboksary reservoir.
Members of the environmental organization Dront will
also participate in the picket... |
| Destruction
of nature has been accelerating
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
June 4, 2010
The biosphere of our planet has not
improved for the past year. We have been facing dangerous
ongoing climate change, deterioration of the condition
of the world ocean, shrinking biodiversity, disappearance
of the rain forests, aging nuclear power stations
and proliferation of nuclear weapons threaten us with
another Chernobyl, chemical contamination and the
spread of GMOs. Influential international bodies –
the G-8 and the G-20, the World Bank, the European
and the Asian Banks of Reconstruction and Development
- declaring the importance of preserving the planet's
ecosystems in words, virtually support quick-profit
technologies detrimental on nature.
Lack of stringent environmental control
over implementation of commercial projects at the
national and the international level leads to a terrible
disasters like that we observe in the Gulf of Mexico... |
| Ombudsman’s
Report for 2009 published
Press Release. May 28, 2010
Russia’s Ombudsman and one of
the founders of the YABLOKO party Vladimir Lukin published
Report - 2009. The Report deals with the most acute
problems of human rights in Russia, provides information
on Ombudsman’s activities, including dealing
with citizens’ requests, interaction with the
state bodes and civil society institutes, analysis
of the present law in the field of human rights, as
well as proposals on its further development. The
key factor determining the composition of Lukin’s
Report was the dynamics of developments in the field
of human rights in Russia... |
| June 2, 2010 |
| Moscow
YABLOKO delegated its representatives to the Consultative
Council under the Moscow City Duma
Press Release. June 2, 2010
Yesterday, on June 1, the Regional
Council of the Moscow YABLOKO once again examined
the issue of YABLOKO’s participation in the
Consultative Council under the Moscow City Duma. It
was decided to delegate two YABLOKO’s representatives
to the Consultative Council.
Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO Sergei
Mitrokhin and member of the Regional Council Elena
Morozova were elected out of five candidacies by secret
ballot... |
| June 1, 2010 |
| Breaking
up of rallies means professional incompetence of the
Russian government
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
June 1, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO consders the reaction of the authorities to
the protest actions that took place in Moscow, St.Petersburg
and other Russian cities yesterday be unacceptable
and absurd.
A deliberately tough use of obviously
superior police forces against the groups of citizens
who simply expressed their opinion without endangering
anyone’s security represents a proof of inability
of state officials, top officials inclusive, to adequately
assess the situation in the country... |
| YABLOKO
demands raising of children’s allowances to
the subsistence minimum at picketing by the Ministry
of Health Care and Social Development
Press Release. June 1, 2010
Today, on the International Children’s
Day, the YABLOKO party conducted a series of one-person
pickets by the Ministry of Health Care and Social
Development demanding raising of children’s
allowances to the child’s subsistence minimum.
YABLOKO’s activists demonstrated what a person
can buy with child’s allowance amounting to
RUR 750 (approximately USD 25 per month).
The Moscow authorities did not give
their permit to conduct this action. The activists
held placards “Raise the allowance to the subsistence
minimum!” and “Subsistence minimum of
RUR 7,006 = children’s allowance of RUR 750?”... |
| On
the death of Andrei Voznesensky
Condolences by Sergei Mitrokhin
June 1, 2010
Andrei Voznesensky symbolized for
many people not only a new word not only in poetry,
but also in life. Bright, free and always in search
of new forms he long ago became a part of our modern
culture, turned into its history.
I express my deep condolences to his
spouse Zoya Boguslavskaya, friends and next-of-kin
of outstanding poet Andrei Voznesensky.
Sincerely,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party |
| Nomination
of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s candidacy by the Russian
Chess Federation to the post of FIDE President means
a disgrace for Russia
Decision of YABLOKO’s
Bureau from May 22, 2010. May 31, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO has already made several statements that Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov’s regime in the Republic of Kalmykia
is one of the ugliest developments in Russia’s
political history of the past two decades representing
a disgusting mixture of authoritarian rule, corruption
and criminal.
Fight against this regime has in 1998
taken the life of Larissa Yudina, Chair of the Kalmyk
regional branch of YABLOKO, and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s
aid was found guilty of this murder. The political
responsibility for this crime lies, in our view, completely
on Kirsan Ilyumzhinov... |
| May 31, 2010 |
| The
eldest blogger of the Runet turns 85
Press Release. May 30, 2010
Engelina Borisovna Tareyeva, member
of the Moscow YABLOKO Regional Council and the eldest
blogger of the Russian segment of the Internet (Runet)
turns 85 today, on May 30. Her Live Journal has over
4.500 readers.
Engelina Tareyeva writes about the
events that took place 50, 60 and even 70 years ago
very brightly, interesting and wisely. She writes
about these developments as if they happened yesterday... |
| In
support of Mezhduryechinsk miners
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
May 29, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO once again conveys its condolences to the
relatives and next-of-kin of the miners killed during
the accident at the Raspadskaya mine. Regardless of
the specific reasons leading to the accident at the
mine, it is obvious that the problem is system-driven.
This is confirmed by another accident at the Alexeyevskaya
mine which followed the accident at Raspadskaya.
The owners of the mines set such rules
and regulations which make the miners to neglect the
safety requirement and risk their lives so that to
get more or less adequate wages. A civilised dialogue
with the employer turns out to be impossible: the
owners of the mines being aware that the miners will
not be able to find another job talk with them from
a position of force. The possibilities of a labour
dispute or a strike are restricted by law... |
| An
unlearned lesson of totalitarian past
Press Release. May 28, 2010
Another lecture in the series of the
Evening Party University lectures took place on May
26 in YABLOKO’s office, Moscow. The lecture
“An unlearned lesson of the totalitarian past”
was delivered by Galina Mikhalyova, Executive Secretary
of YABLOKO’s Political Committee and head of
the Evening Party University.
Mikhalyova presented the decision
by YABLOKO’s Political Committee on overcoming
Bolsheviks’ and Stalin’s legacy as a condition
for Russia’s modernization in the 21st century.
She also presented a second edition of the book Overcoming
Stalin’s Legacy which runs that Russia’s
development is impossible without state assessment
of totalitarian past.
Mikhlyova also noted that the crimes
of the Soviet period affected virtually every family:
“Stalin’s methods of governing led to
deaths of millions of Soviet citizens, and dozens
of millions people were affected by political reprisals
and deportations”... |
| Public
Prosecutor to check the lawfulness of pulling down
of historical buildings in Kadashi, Moscow
Press Release. May 27, 2010
On May 27, Chair of the YABLOKO party
Sergei Mitrokhin forwarded a letter to V.Shevshuk,
Public Prosecutor of Moscow, and A.Kibovsky, head
of the Rosokhrankultura (Agency for preservation of
historic and cultural heritage) with a request to
stop unlawful pulling down of buildings in the territory
of the Resurrection Temple in Kadashi, Moscow.
The buildings that had to be pulled
down on May 24 in Kadashi are situated within the
boundaries of a historical and cultural heritage zone,
and any works except for preservation and regeneration
are prohibited there. Mitrokhin also expressed his
doubts in the lawfulness of the permit issued by Moskomnasleydiye
(the Moscow Heritage Committee) to pull down buildings
there... |
| May 28, 2010 |
| President
of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is reminded of the
murder of Larissa Yudina
Press Release, May 26, 2010
Activists from the Youth YABLOKO were
waiting for President of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
be the entrance to the office of the Echo Moskvi radio
station so that to remind him of the murder of Larissa
Yudina, a journalist and leader of the Kalmykia branch
of YABLOKO, killed 12 years ago... Larissa Yudina,
the leader of Kalmyk YABLOKO and Editor-in-Chief of
oppositional Sovietskaya Kalmykia Segodnya paper,
was murdered 12 years ago on June 7, 1998. The official
investigation does not name the person who ordered
this crime, however, they obviously know this person.
The question about Ilyumzhinov’s personal involvement
in the crime is still open, as the organiser of the
murder S.Vaskin (a person with repeated convictions)
was Ilyumzhinov’s Legal Advisor...
“The person who ordered the murder
of Larissa Yudina and all the people involved in this
crime should not avoid punishment. The goal of objective
investigation should be suspend the proxy of Ilyumzhinov
as President of Kalmykia,” runs the statement by YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
|
| The
General Plan of Moscow Development signed by the city
authorities to be disputed in court
Press Release. May 28, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
will dispute in court the General Plan of Moscow.
“Procedural violations in development and adoption
of the Plan were considerable. We shall apply to court
as soon as the General Plan is published,” Mitrokhin
said...
Mitrokhin also offered to the Moscow
residents whose interests will be affected by the
Plan to apply to YABLOKO for help... |
| May 26, 2010 |
| Small
Business Goes into Politics
Press Release. May 26, 2010
“The present political regime representing
oligarchs and monopolies does not need small businesses
in general. Representatives of the small business
demolished as a class should resist this,” Sergei
Mitrokhin, YABLOKO’s leader, said at a rally...
The rally adopted a resolution calling
the authorities to stop demolishing the small businesses
and also unanimously supported the proposal to call
all the entrepreneurs to join around YABLOKO “which
is the only party protecting small business”. |
| May 25, 2010 |
| Nation-wide
action “Small Business Goes into Politics” to Take
Place on the Entrepreneur’s Day
Press Release. May 25, 2010
On the Entrepreneur’s Day, May 26,
a nation-wide action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
will take place at Bolotnaya square, Moscow. About
300 entrepreneurs from Voronezh, Tula, St.Petersburg,
Tver, Tambov, Kursk, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and Moscow
will participate in the action in Moscow.
The organisers of the action state
that the authorities do not implement their promises
to provide support to small businesses. The participants
of the rally are going to voice their decision to
join the YABLOKO party – the only political force
which has been consistently protecting the rights
and interests of the small business... |
| Absurd
and discriminatory norms of the law “On the
Basic Guarantees of Franchise…” should
be abolished
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
May 25, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses support to Andrei Malitsky in his
litigation of the norm of the Federal Law “On
the Basic Guarantees of Franchise and the Right to
Participate in a Referendum”.
According to the present norm of the
law, a citizen of the Russian Federation having residence
permits in other states is not allowed to be member
of electoral commission... |
| May 24, 2010 |
| The
court once again recognised the killer of the leader
of the Dagestan YABLOKO guilty or murder
Interfax, May 22, 2010
The Jury of the Supreme Court of Dagestan
return a verdict on the murder of the leader of the
Dagestan regional branch of the YABLOKO party Farid
Babayev.
According to Interfax correspondent,
one of the accused was recognised guilty, and the
second was acquitted.
The Jury ruled out the Rasil Mamedrizayev
who had been accused of the murder and keeping of
weapon was guilty of the crime...
|
| The
Moscow branch of YABLOKO elected its leading bodies
and proposed to change the Moscow Mayor
Press Release, May 24, 2010
The conference of the Moscow YABLOKO
which took place yesterday, on May 23, confirmed its
opposition to the Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and his
government and called the country to return to the
direct election of the Moscow Mayor (the Moscow Mayor
enjoys the Governor status).
“In the federal authorities
are not ready to return to the election of all governors,
it can at least make an exception for the cities of
federal importance – Moscow and St.Petersburg
– where the city dwellers unlike residents of
other cities are deprived of the right to elect the
city heads,” runs the statement of the Moscow
YABLOKO.
Draft statement “On the political
crisis in Moscow and the ways out of it” was
submitted by YABLOKO’s leader and chair of its
Moscow branch Sergei Mitrokhin... |
| May 22, 2010 |
| On
pressure on the witnesses in the case of Farid Babayev,
the murdered leader of the Dagestan YABLOKO
Statement by the Bureau of
the YABLOKO party. May 20, 2010
The YABLOKO party has been closely
following the trial on the murder of Farid Babayev,
the leader of the Dagestan YABLOKO and a human rights
activist.
On June 4, 2009, the Penal Chamber
of the Supreme Court of Russia abrogated the previous
decision of the Jury and a sentence passed against
Rasil Mamedrizayev and Seferali Sefemerzoyev and returned
the case to another trial by a new composition of
the Jury. It is expected that a new sentence against
the culprits will be passed soon.
The YABLOKO party has several times
expressed its concern over open pressure applied by
the interested side to the witnesses and the Jury,
and consequently they either changed or refused from
their previous testimony against the culprits...
|
| May 20, 2010 |
| Yekaterinburg
Mayor tries to get RUR 600,000 from deputy of the
Yekaterinburg Duma Petlin as compensation for criticism
Press Release. May 19, 2010
On May 17 deputy of the Yekaterinburg
Duma Maxim Petlin received a notification from one
of the district courts of Yekaterinburg that Mayor
Chernetsky filed a protest on the court decision on
the libel case (case No 2-134). Earlier the court
had turned down the libel suit by Mayor Chernetsky
to Maxim Petlin and television channel Russia which
broadcasted Petlin’s critical statement about
the situation with kindergartens in the city. The
court also had charged the Mayor RUR 20,000 (about
USD 700) for compensation of the legal costs incurred
by Maxim Petlin... |
| May 19, 2010 |
| Anti-Corruption
Commission under the Moscow Mayor dissolved after
YABLOKO’s criticism
Press Release. May 19, 2010
Yesterday First Deputy Mayor of Moscow
Vladimir Resin annulled his earlier order of May 5
on creation of an anticorruption commission in the
Moscow construction sector.
A day before this on May 17, Alexander
Gnezdilov, Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO and
the Youth Chamber under the Moscow City Duma, in his
speech in the Moscow parliament sharply criticized
the composition of the commission. He stated that
it was inadmissible when Moscow officials with criminal
cases opened against them participate in the anticorruption
commission. For example, Alexander Levchenko, head
of the Moscow roads, bridges and infrasrtucture construction
department, was included into the commission despite
of the fact that a criminal persecution due to his
abuse of authority had been launched against him... |
| Nation-wide
action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
to Take Place on the Entrepreneur’s Day
Press Release. May 19, 2010
On May 14, the YABLOKO party applied
to the Moscow authorities for a permission to conduct
an action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
on the Entrepreneur’s Day, May 26. The
action will take place by the Economic Ministry at
the Triumfalnaya square, Moscow. Entrepreneurs from
different regions of Central Russia and St.Petersburg
will participate in the action in Moscow. The
action will begin at 2 p.m. |
| May 18, 2010 |
| The
first suit against the State Plan of Moscow Development
motioned
Press Release. May 18, 2010
The YABLOKO party has motioned a suit
in the first instance court demanding to oblige the
Moscow authorities to provide a state expertise the
State Plan of Moscow Development. “According
to our information, the State Plan of Moscow Development
has not received a positive conclusion from the state
expertise in spite of the fact that Mosgosekspertiza
(Moscow State Expertise Agency) under the Moscow Government
was mandated to conduct it. As far as we know, most
experts were dissatisfied with the solution of transport
problems in the new plan,” runs the statement
signed by YABLOKO’s Chair Sergei Mitrokhin... |
| May 17, 2010 |
| Miners’
demands should be satisfied
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
May 17, 2010
...This problem can be solved only
via a dialogue with the workers. Russian large business
treating independent trade unions like enemies will
no go for such a dialogue, therefore, creation of
conditions for such a dialogue should become a direct
responsibility of the authorities of all levels.
Miners have the right to fight for
safe working conditions and decent living. The state
must make a radical revision of the labour law and
change its attitude to the regulators that have to
control implementation of the law.
We are calling President of Russia
to create a special commission for examination of
the justified claims of the miners and development
of social support measures for their families from
the federal budget... |
| May 14, 2010 |
| Youth
YABLOKO conducted a flash mob under the slogan “We
Do not Need Such Television!”
May 12, 2010
On May 12, the Youth YABLOKO organisation
conducted a flash mob by the Ostankino TV centre under
the slogan “We Do not Need Such Television!”
Four young activists brought a TV
set to the entrance of Ostankino centre and placards
“For the Freedom of Speech!”, “For Independent Media!”.
Then young people broke the TV set shouting “Putin,
change the format!” and “We are tired of TV brainwashing!”... |
| May 12, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin’s condolences on the tragedy at the
Raspadskaya mine
May 12, 2010
We are sharing the pain of all those
who lost their relatives and next-of-kin in the explosion
at the Raspadskaya mine. Whatever the objective and
subjective causes of the accident were, we can not
return these lives and crying only won’t help
us. We know that miners are courageous people who
can patiently and with great dignity bear such things.
I hope God gives you strength to bear this pain.
We are sharing your pain and your
grief.
On behalf of all the YABLOKO members,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party |
| YABLOKO
commemorated the victims of the Second World War
Press Release, May 9, 2010
On the 65th anniversary of the victory
in the Second World War the YABLOKO party commemorated
the victims of the war laying flowers to the Eternal
Flame over the mass grave of the largest military
burial ground in Moscow – the Preobrazhensky
Cemetery. Such memory actions have been traditionally
conducted by YABLOKO at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery
for several years already.
On behalf of the party the wreaths
were laid by YABLOKO’s leaders Sergei Mitrokhin
and Grigory Yavlinsky, Political Committee member
Sergei Ivanenko, deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO
Ivan Bolshakov and leader of the Moscow Region branch
of YABLOKO retired General Major Anton Goretsky and
his deputy Dmitry Ilyushin... |
| May 7, 2010 |
| Activists
of the YABLOKO party laid flowers to the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier
Press Release, May 7, 2010
Today activists of the YABLOKO party
lay flowers to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
the Alexandrovsky Garden by the Kremlin Wall. YABLOKO’s
leaders – its Chair Sergei Mitrokhin, members of Political
Committee Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexei Arbatov, and
Anton Goretsky, Chair of the Moscow Region YABLOKO
and General Major (retired) participated in the mourning
ceremony... |
| President
of Russia gave a state assessment of Stalin
Press Release, May 7, 2010
According to President Medvedev, Joseph
Stalin’s crimes against the nation can not be forgiven.
"And despite the fact that he worked hard, despite
the fact that under his leadership the country succeeded,
what was done to its people cannot be forgiven,"
Medvedev said in his interview to the Izvestia newspaper.
President ruled out restoration
of Stalinism in the everyday life, in particular,
emergence of Stalinist symbols and placards portraying
the tyrant. “This has no taken place and will not
take place. This is absolutely ruled out. And this
is, if you want, the present state ideology and my
assessment as President of the Russian Federation,”
he said.
Yesterday, on May 6, YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin made a statement calling President
of Russia to “give a tough official assessment of
the Stalin’s system and the attempts to associate
it with the Great Victory”... |
| An
anti-Stalinist action of the Youth YABLOKO broken
out by police in St.Petersburg
Press Release, May 7, 2010
Today the Youth organisation of YABLOKO
conducted a series of one-person pickets by the Kazan
Cathedral in the centre of St.Petersburg. YABLOKO
protests against placement of Stalin portraits in
the city. “We are outraged by emergence of portraits
of the executioner of the people on the threashold
of the Great Victory Day. It is inadmissible to place
portraits (whatever they may be) of a man who broke
millions of lives, was an absolutely talentless leader
of the army and killed the heroes who had protected
Leningrad during blockade,” stated the organisers
of the action.
Four young YABLOKO’s activists
dressed in prisoners’ clothes and bearing plates
on their chests with a list of Stalin’s crimes
were spreading leaflets. The leaflets described Stalin’s
crimes and explained why his portrait was an insult
of the memory of the war and its victims... |
| May 6, 2010 |
| President
of Russia should give his assessment of Stalinism
Statement by YABLOKO’s
Chairman, May 6, 2010
The fact that Stalin’s portraits
as a Marshall of Victory finally have not emerged
in the Moscow streets is a great achievement of our
civil society.
The YABLOKO party took an active part
in the campaign. In our first statement we said that
there is no place for Stalin’s portraits in
the V-Day decoration of Moscow streets and squares.
However, placement of the materials
of totalitarian propaganda (that have already been
printed) in the Moscow museums and public centres
makes us to return to this issue once again... |
| YABLOKO
to honour the memory of the heroes of the Second World
War
Press Release, May 6, 2010
On May 7, on the threashold of the
Victory Day, the leaders and activists of the YABLOKO
party will lay wreaths to the Eternal Flame and the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexandrovsky Garden
by the Kremlin Wall. The participants of the action
should gather by the History Museum at 4:45 p.m. (Ploschad
Revolutzii metro station).
On May 9 the Moscow YABLOKO will participate
in the mourning action at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery
where thousands of soldiers and officers who died
at the Second World War are buried... |
| May 1, 2010 |
| The
March of Changes took place in Moscow
Press Release, May 1, 2010
About 1,200 people participated in
the March of Changes organised by YABLOKO on May 1.
The columns of demonstrators with
YABLOKO’s flags and white balloons marched from
the Maly Theatre towards the Lubyanka square. The
leaders of the party, human rights activists and ecologists
held a slogan “For the Changes!”
“For the Changes! For Russia!
For YABLOKO! We are tired of stagnation! No to oligarchia,
yes to democracy!” chanted the demonstrators.
When the columns of demonstrators approached the Federal
Security Service building a slogan “Away with
the power of the KGB!” was heard...
|
| April 30, 2010 |
| Renowned
human rights activists, ecologists and residents of
the Rechnik village to participate in the March of
Changes
Press Release, April 30, 2010
The May 1 March of Changes organised
by YABLOKO will end by a rally. The head of the Moscow
Helsinki Group Ludmila Alexeyeva, the leader of the
movement For the Protection of the Khimki Forest Eugeniya
Chirkova and leaders of the initiative group of the
Rechnik village will speak at the rally.
The participants of the march will
gather by the Maly Theatre at 10:30 a.m. The march
towards the Lubyanka Square will begin at 11:00 a.m.
A rally by the Solobetsky Stone at the Lubyanka Square
will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The participants
of the action will get a budge “I what changes!”
The rally will end by a concern of the Moscow rock
group Sobaki Kachalova. |
| YABLOKO:
organisers of the Day of Wrath are provocators
Press Release, April 30, 2010
...The information disseminated via
mass media with a reference to Mr.Udaltsov, Coordinator
of the Left Front Movement, that YABLOKO will participate
in the Day of Wrath is incorrect.
“The “professional revolutionaries”
who organise the “days of wrath” have
always acted as provocators in our history, which
is confirmed today when they disinform the society
of YABLOKO’s participation in their actions,”
said YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin. “Their
methods are the same as the methods of the authorities
they so ardently fight against. That is why we have
nothing in common with them,” Mitrokhin added...
|
| April 28, 2010 |
| On
the need to maintain and develop labour protection
system in Russia
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
April 28, 2010
...Most of violations of the labour
rights are connected with non-observance of the labour
protection law. Direct loss from occupational traumatism
in the Russian Federation is 250 times higher than
in the US and the EU countries. Also the Russian labour
law has many gaps leading to mass-scale lawlessness
of the workers.
For example, the Russian Labour Code
does not contain a notion of labour contract. The
Code does not envisage the responsibility of the employer
to provide work to the employee. The owner of the
company is not liable by his income or property for
the company’s performance and damage to the
health and life of the workers. Thus, the employers
are, on one hand, often interested in bankruptcy of
their companies and even prepare such bankruptcies,
on the other hand, they neglect labour protection
norms considering them unprofitable... |
| April 27, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin: The Treaty on the Black Sea
Fleet forms a basis for long-term cooperation between
Russia and Ukraine
Interfax, April 27, 2010
“I think that this treaty is useful
and profitable for both the countries. This is a step
forward towards integration creating a basis for further
long-term cooperation,” YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
told to Interfax on Tuesday.
However, considering the fact that
Russia simultaneously lowered gas price for Ukraine
by 30 per cent, Mitrokhin noted that this was “a high
price paid by Russia”. |
| Amendments
to the law on the Federal Security Service constitute
a political provocation against President of Russia
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
April 27, 2010
The YABLOKO party demands from the
State Duma to decline the draft law envisaging broadening
of competence of the Federal Security Service (FSB)
connected with the so-called “special preventive
measures” against extremism.
The draft law stipulating that the
FSB has the right to announce to the Russian citizens
official warnings for the actions that can allegedly
cause extremism and arrest them for 15 days for non-obeying
to the lawful demand by the FSB officer creates grounds
for violation of the law by the FSB staff and is targeted
against the dissenting.
Taking into account the lack of transparency
and control of the Russian secret services and an
extremely wide interpretation of the notion “extremist
activity”, as well as systematic bans on rallies
and pickets the draft law initiated by the Russian
government provides unlimited prospects for security
services’ arbitrary rule.
The sanction for non-obeying the warning
distorts the legal liability principle, as the liability
takes place in case of a definite wrongdoing. The
proposed norm envisages in some cases (e.g., for participation
in the actions that are not agreed upon with the authorities)
even tougher liability for the same violations than
envisaged in the present law... |
| April 26, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
commemorated the victims of nuclear disasters by the
Rosatom building
Press Release, April 26, 2010
Today, on April 26, on the Memory
Day of Nuclear Disasters Victims, YABLOKO held an
action commemorating the victims of nuclear disasters
by Rosatom (Russia’s Atomic Agency). The
police and security guards refused to let YABLOKO’s
activists to the territory of Rosatom, therefore the
activists fixed the placard “Memory of nuclear
disasters victims” on the fence around the building
and laid flowers to it.
“Rosatom is a legal successor
of the Atomic Ministry and bears full responsibility
for the disasters,” said YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin, who also participated in the action.
According to Mitrokhin, the victims of these tragedies
“have not got due compensations yet”,
moreover, even “not all the victims have legal
right to such compensations”... |
| Aid
to the victims of nuclear disasters is a moral and
political responsibility of the state
Statement by the YABLOKO party
on the Memory Day of Nuclear Disasters Victims, April
26, 2010
Today we are commemorating the victims
of nuclear disasters, the innocent victims of Novozemesky
and Semipalatisnky nuclear testing sites, those who
got under the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl, dozens
of thousands of Chernobyl liquidators who passed out
prematurely, submariners who died in the accident
with the Komsomolets submarine and other submarines,
and the victims of the disaster and pollution from
the Mayak plant and other nuclear facilities.
The state has been trying to forget
and avoid responsibility for the life and health of
hundreds of thousands Russian citizens living in the
territories with radioactive pollution, such as Bryansk,
Tula, Oryol, Kaluga, Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk,
Irkutsk and other regions, Yakutia, Altai, Matitime,
Baikal and Krasnoyarsk areas, as well as to forget
about the consequences of dozens of underground “peaceful”
nuclear tests conducted in Russia.
We can not agree with the ideas that
“it is high time to forget Chernobyl and the
consequences of the cold war” neither from moral
grounds nor from academic views: all these consequences
of nuclear pollution will affect the health of several
further generations. These policies led to the situation
when many thousands of involuntary hostages of the
nuclear sector can not get just compensations... |
| Action
commemorating the victims of nuclear disasters
Press Release, April 25, 2010
Today, on April 26, an action commemorating
the victims of nuclear disasters organised by the
Youth YABLOKO will take place by Rosatom (Russia’s
Atomic Agency).
The activists will hold placard “Memory
of nuclear disasters victims”. They will also
lay flowers by Rosatom’s building... |
| April 23, 2010 |
| Grigory
Yavlinsky to visit PACE
www.yavlinsky.ru, April 24,
2010
On April 26-27 Grigory Yavlinsky will
have a number of meetings in PACE.
Grigory Yavlinsky’s schedule
includes meetings with Mr Thorbjørn Jagland,
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Melvut
Çavusoglu, President of the PACE, rapporteurs
of the Monitoring Committee on Russia, Mr Andreas
Gross and Mr Gyorgy Frunda, Mr Dick Marty and rapporteur
on the North Caucasus, as well as a speech at the
meeting of the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for
Europe (ALDE).
The Spring session of PACE will take
place in Strasburg on April 26-30 and will be devoted
to the consequences of the economic crisis, the war
between Georgia and Russia and other issues...
|
| The
residents of the Rechnik village handed a letter of
appreciation to Sergei Mitrokhin
Press Release, April 23, 2010
Yesterday, on April 22, the meeting
of the Regional Council of the Moscow YABLOKO discussed
the situation in the Rechnik village.
Ludmila Gaiduk, the leader of the
initiative group of the residents of the village which
had had suffered reprisals from the Moscow authorities,
made a speech at the meeting. She expressed gratitude
to YABLOKO for protection of the village and its residents.
Gaiduk handed to Sergei Mitrokhin
a letter of appreciation. “Thanks to your speech
at the State Council meeting and in the mass media,
organisation of picketing in protection of property
rights and multiple statements by YABLOKO’s
activists we managed to get attention from the country
leader to our problem and pulling down of houses was
stopped,” runs the letter... |
| On
May 1 YABLOKO to conduct the March of Changes
Press Release, April 23, 2010
On May 1 YABLOKO will conduct the
March of Changes. “Russia has been plunging
deeper into the mash of corruption and stagnation.
The President has been speaking about modernisation,
however these are only words. The country requires
real changes, not words!” run YABLOKO’s
leaflets distributed among Muscovites.
The participants of the march will
gather by the Maly Theatre and will march along Teatralny
Proyezd to the Lubyanka Square. A rally will take
place by the Solovetsky Stone at the Lubyanka Square.
YABLOKO’s leaders and renown
human rights activists, including Ludmila Alexeyeva,
head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, will speak at the
rally...
|
| April 21, 2010 |
| The
residents of the Rechnik village to award Sergei Mitrokhin
a certificate of honour
Press Release, April 21, 2010
The upcoming meeting of the Regional
Council of the Moscow YABLOKO will discuss the situation
in the Rechnik village. The residents of the village
are going to express their gratitude to Sergei Mitrokhin
for protection of their rights and are going to award
him a certificate of honour.
Also the Regional Council of the Moscow
YABLOKO will introduce amendments into the provisions
on the Public Consultative Council of Political Parties
with the Moscow City Duma. These amendments have to
considerably broaden the proxies of the Council...
|
| Valery
Borschyov: Any shrinking of the field for trials by
a jury court is unfavourable
Svoboda Radio, April 21, 2010
Valery Borschyov is ex deputy of the
State Duma, member of the Moscow Helsinki Group and
Secretary of the YABLOKO Bureau.
Valery Borschyov: Any shrinking of
the field for trials by a jury court is unfavourable.
It is very bad that cases connected with terrorism
and extremism and many other issues connected with
this notion have been removed from the jurisdiction
of the jury court. Obviously, there is a problem,
that, for example, it is impossible to have a trial
on terrorists in Chechnya, Ingushetia or Dagestan
by a jury court. However, Russia is a large country,
and certainly [such cases] can be examined by a jury
court in a different federation subject, or by a higher
court and not necessarily in the Northern Caucasus,
if the terrorist comes from this region. There were
concerns voiced that the jury court may acquit terrorists.
However, what is the essence of a trial by jury? The
jury acquits the accused when investigation has failed.
|
| Sergei
Mitrokhin to participate in a rally
Press Release, April 21, 2010
A rally “For Installing Order
in the Housing and Utilities Sector” will take
place in Yaroslavl on Saturday, April 24. YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin will participate in the rally.
The population of Yaroslavl is outraged
by unprecedented growth of tariffs on utilities set
by monopolists – Yaroslavl Sbit Company.
“I am planning to forward an
address to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the results
of the rally with a demand to install order in calculating
payment tariffs for utilities,” Mitrokhin said...
|
| April 20, 2010 |
| An
action “For St.Petersburg Without Matviyenko”
started in the Internet
Press Release, April 20, 2010
Web-site “For St.Petersburg
without Matviyenko” (http://www.piter-bez-matvienko.ru/)
collecting signatures in favour of resignation of
St.Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko has been
launched.
“We, citizens of St.Petersburg,
demand resignation of Governor Valentina Matviyenko;
for six and a half years she has been in power we
have been clearly shown that the policies conducted
by her administration is hostile to the interests
of the citizens and represents a consistent violation
of their rights,” runs the address to the citizens...
|
| April 19, 2010 |
| The
Russian authorities should take up responsibility
for prevention of violence in Kyrgyzstan
Statement by YABLOKO's Chairman, April 19, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses its extreme concern by the growth
of havoc and violence in Kyrgyzstan, which also led
to the acts of violence and robbery against Russian
citizens and ethnic Russians living in Kyrgyzstan.
In the situation of abrupt weakening
of the power and virtual negligence by the law enforcement,
nationalistic bashing can end in multiple victims.
The duty of the Russian authorities is to prevent
murders of our compatriots, as well as the citizens
of Kyrgyzstan and all other nations that are left
without protection.
We are calling President of Russia
and Prime Minister of Russia to take under their personal
control the issue of preventing mass killings in Kyrgyzstan,
make corresponding public statements and use all the
leverages so that to influence the situation...
|
| Sergei
Mitrokhin demands that Interior Minister should investigate
the corruption scandal with Daimler
Press Release, April 16, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
applied to Rashid Nurgaliyev, Russia’s Interior
Minister, demanding to file a criminal case on bribes
received by federal and regional bureaucrats by Daimler.
This loud corruption scandal around
Daimler led to publication in the Internet of some
documents from the US Ministry of Justice relating
to the case. The documents provide detailed information
what officials and of which Russian ministries received
the bribes and how much. The overall amount of bribes
received by Russian bureaucrats from Daimler is assessed
at about Euro 5 mln...
|
| April 15, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
joins the action of the Russian motorists
Statement of YABLOKO's Chairman, April 14, 2010
The YABLOKO party supports the action
of the Federation of Russia’s Motorists targeted at
introducing amendments into the traffic rules regulating
the use of special signals on officials’ cars.
The recent developments on the Russian
roads, in particular, a scandal with Presidential
Advisor (the post represents virtually a kind of honourable
discharge) abusing his right of preferential passage
shows the importance of this action and its public
importance...
|
| Arrest
of scientists in St.Petersburg discredits presidential
policy
Statement of the YABLOKO party, April 15, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO calls to release St.Petersburg scientists
Eugeni Afanasyev and Svyatoslav Bobyshev.
Considering the “practices” of work
of the Federal Security Bureau in the recent years
we have all the grounds to state that the accusations
set against the scientists in their alleged transfer
of state secrets to China are groundless.
Any investigation that the law enforcement
consider necessary can be performed without bringing
the scientists in custody. We consider such measure
of restraint as excessive and demonstratively repressive
by nature...
|
| On
political reprisals against The New Times
Statement of the YABLOKO party, April 15, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses its support to The New Times magazine
in connection with an attempt of the law enforcement
to conduct unlawful inspection of documents in the
editing house. We think that these actions represent
an act of punitive censorship which has to produce
a chilling effect on Russian journalists in case they
wish to publish articles inconvenient to top military
and police officials.
We hope that this event will not interfere
with functioning of the editorial house and conducting
of serious journalist investigations by the magazine...
|
| April 13, 2010 |
| Presentation
of the book Overcoming Stalin’s Legacy in Voronezh
Press Release, April 12, 2010
Executive Secretary of YABLOKO’s
Political Committee Galina Mikhalyova presented the
book Overcoming Stalin’s Legacy in Voronezh
on April 10, 2010.
Over 20 people participated in the
discussion: members of the Regional Council of the
YABLOKO party, heads of the Voronezh branch of the
Memorial society, history teachers, representatives
of youth human rights movement, independent students’
paper Perekhod and the Young Europe international
network, those who suffered Stalin’s reprisals
and representatives from other parties and movements.
Chair of Voronezh YABLOKO Inna Kudryashova stressed
that communists were trying to revive Stalin’s
cult in Voronezh as well as in other Russia’s
cities...
|
| April 12, 2010 |
| Interregional
conference “Women’s Movement in Russia” took place
in Voronezh
Press Release, April 12, 2010
Interregional conference “Women’s
Movement in Russia: the Present and Socio-Political
Prospects” and the meeting of the Council for Consolidation
of Women’s Movement in Russia will take place in Voronezh
on April 9, 2010. The conference marked the 10th anniversary
of the Voronezh regional movement Women’s Unity.
Co-organisers of the conference were
the Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement
in Russia and the Russian Academy of State Service...
|
| A
rally for “Installing order in the housing and utilities
sector” held in Moscow
Press Release, April 10, 2010
A mass rally for “Installing order
in the housing and utilities sector” organised by
the YABLOKO party was held at the Pushkin square,
Moscow, on April 10. About 600 people participated
in the rally, including initiative groups of Muscovites
from different Moscow districts...
“Ten years ago YABLOKO proposed a
principally new reform of the housing and utilities
sector, where tough control over monopolies had to
play the key role. However, our proposal was turned
down and the reform developed toward monopolization:
the vertical of power began deriving super profits
via raising tariffs for the citizens,” Sergei Mitrokhin
said at the rally...
|
| Police
considers Sergei Mitrokhin’s calls to Governor Gromov
to resign as extremism
Press Release, April 10, 2010
Mass rally took place in Tuchkovo,
the Moscow region, on April 10. The election of the
new head of Tuchkovo was conducted under tough pressure
from the city administration composed our of United
Russia members. The election results have not been
recognised valid yet, as the residents of the area
voted for Viktor Alksnis who was in opposition to
United Russia...
The police considered Sergei Mitrokhin’s
calls to Governor Gromov to resign as extremism and
summoned Viktor Alksnis as organiser of the rally
to the local police department for explanations. Sergei
Mitrokhin and Viktor Alksnis gave their explanations
in the police department...
|
| YABLOKO's
representatives lay flowers to the Polish Embassy
Press Release, April 12, 2010
YABLOKO's leader Sergei Mitrokhin,
Secretary of YABLOKO's Political Committee Galina
Mikhalyova, deputy head of the Moscow YABLOKO Ivan
Bolshakov and other activists laid flowers to the
wall of the Polish Embassy. |
| April 10, 2010 |
| Condolences
on the death of Polish President in the aircrash
April 10, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses sincere condolences to the people
of Poland and all the next-of-kin of the victims of
the aircrash by Smolensk.
On this hard moment of pain we are
wishing you strength so that you may overcome it with
courage so characteristic of the Polish nation.
The memory of the Katyn tragedy and
of those killed in the aircrash will make our nations
even closer.
We are sharing your pain and joining
you in mourning over the victims.
Sincerely,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party
|
| April 8, 2010 |
| A
rally in Tuchkovo, the Moscow Region, to demand resignation
of the Governor
Press Release, April 8, 2010
A rally that will be held with YABLOKO’s
support in Tuchkovo, the Moscow region, on Saturday,
April 10, will demand resignation of the Governor
of the Moscow Region Boris Gromov and will ask the
President to install order and lawfulness in the region.YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin and deputy head of the Moscow
Region branch of YABLOKO Dmitry Ilyushin will participate
in the rally.
For three years the Moscow Region
has been deep in debt and ex Finance Minister of the
region has been under criminal investigation, YABLOKO
notes. Bureaucrats from the United Russia party has
been pressing small and medium businesses, and business
has been leaving the region and the number of unemployed
has been steadily growing. Housing and utilities sector
has been falling to pieces while tariffs on housing
and utilities skyrocketed...
|
| The
leaders of YABLOKO and the Russian Medical Association
signed a Memorandum on development of a healthcare
reform
Press Release, April 8, 2010
The leaders of YABLOKO and the Russian
Medical Association (RMA) signed today a Memorandum
on state policies in healthcare and a healthcare reform.
“The positions, approaches and
the concept of the healthcare reform proposed by the
RMA completely coincide with YABLOKO’s approach,”
Sergei Mitrokhin said opening the press-conference.
According to Mitrokhin, the party will reinforce its
programme in the part of healthcare measures and will
get a possibility to work with Russia’s medical
community.
“Our common task is not only
formulate a concept of a healthcare reform and translate
medical and research tasks into a political language,
but also to protect doctors and patients,” added
Galina Mikhalyova, Executive Secretary of YABLOKO’s
Political Committee.
“The slogan of our party has
been “Freedom and Justice”, Mitrokhin
reiterated. “However, the main drawback of the
present healthcare system is the lack of both of them.
And YABLOKO and the Russian Medical Association completely
agree in their vision of this problem,” he said...
|
| April 7, 2010 |
| Press
conference by YABLOKO and the Russian Medical Association
on the healthcare reform
Press Release, April 7, 2010
A press conference by YABLOKO and
the Russian Medical Association (RMA) on the healthcare
reform will take place in the Independent Press Centre,
Moscow, on Thursday, April 8. YABLOKO and RMA will
tell in detail about the Memorandum on the State Policies
of Healthcare and the Healthcare Reform that will
be signed by YABLOKO and the RMA. The draft document
was adopted at YABLOKO’s Political Committee meeting
on March 27, 2010. YABLOKO’s
Chairman Sergei Mitrokhin and RMA President Ashot
Sarkisyan will sign the Memorandum at the press conference.
The press conference will begin at
12-00.
Address: Prechistinka, 17/9, ground floor
|
| YABLOKO
commemorated the victims of bombings in the Moscow
metro
Press Release, Photo Report,
April 6, 2010
On the ninth day after the acts of
terror in the Moscow metro YABLOKO’s activists
and students of Moscow universities commemorated the
victims of the tragedy. |
| April 6, 2010 |
| A
rally for “Installing order in the housing and utilities
sector” to take place in Moscow
Press Release, April 6, 2010
A mass rally for “Installing order
in the housing and utilities sector” organised by
the YABLOKO party will take place at the Pushkin square,
Moscow on Saturday, April 10. The Moscow authorities
gave a permit to conduct a rally for 300 people.
The participants will speak against
growth of tariffs on housing and utilities services,
creation of false servicing companies and deceit with
capital repairs of the buildings, as well as speak
about some other problems of the sector affecting
all the Muscovites...
|
| Students’
march in memory of the victims of the acts of terror
to take place in Moscow
Press Release, April 6, 2010
Today on April 6, on the ninth day
since the acts of terror in the Moscow metro, the
Youth YABLOKO organisation initiates a students’
march in memory of the victims of the acts of terror
will take place in Moscow.
The demonstrators will meet at 6 p.m.
by the Lubyanka metro station (the station where the
first explosion took place) and will march to the
Park Kultury metro station. The action will be conducted
without party symbols and placards. The demonstrators
will light candles and lay flowers by the entrances
to the metro stations.
|
| April 5, 2010 |
| The
Youth branch of YABLOKO calls to introduce a visa-free
regime between Russia and EU during its action by
EU representation in Moscow
Press Release, April 5, 2010
An action by the Youth branch of the
YABLOKO party “To Europe without Visas”
took place by EU representation in Moscow today, on
the day on coming into force of the Visa Code of the
EU. Young YABLOKO’s activists
were holding flags of Russia and the European Union
and were chanting slogans “Russia is a part
of Europe!”, “To Europe without visas!”
and “No wasting time in queues by the consulate
departments!” “A
visa-free entrance of the Russian citizens to Europe
conditions Russia’s becoming an integral part
of Europe,” Maxim Kruglov, one of the leader
of the Youth YABLOKO said. “Young people would
like to get education in Europe, to travel there and
to see how Europeans live,” he added.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
also came to the Embassy to support the young activists.
Mitrokhin said that the initiative of elimination
of visa barriers between Russia and EU belongs to
YABLOKO. For the first time this idea was proposed
by the Yabloko faction of the Russian parliament in
1995. “This idea was supported by Russia’s
Foreign Ministry after a long period of our talks
and negotiations with them,” Mitrokhin said.
YABLOKO's leader also raised the issue of a visa-free
regime the congress and meetings of the ELDR party
(of which YABLOKO is a fully-fledged member), as well
as the meetings of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
for Europe Group (ALDE), the third largest group of
the European Parliament...
|
| Presentation
of Alexei Arbatov’s book “The Equation
of Security
Press Release, April 5, 2010
Presentation of a book “The
Equation of Security” by Dr.Alexei Arbatov,
member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee, head
of the International Security Centre with the Russian
Academy of Sciences, took place in YABLOKO’s
Moscow office today. YABLOKO’s leader Dr.Sergei
Mitrokhin and member of Political Committee and the
founder of the party Dr.Grigory Yavlinsky participated
in the presentation.
The book offers an assessment of the
international security system and the place of the
Russian Federation in the present changeable concept
of international relations. Some of the key postulates
of the book lie in the decision of YABLOKO’s
Political Committee “On Russia’s Foreign
Policies”... |
| Conference
“Women’s Movement in Russia: the Present
and Socio-Political Prospects”
Press Release, April 2, 2010
Interregional conference “Women’s
Movement in Russia: the Present and Socio-Political
Prospects” and the meeting of the Council for
Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia
will take place in Voronezh on April 9, 2010. Chair
of YABLOKO’s Gender faction and Co-Chair of
the Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement
Galina Mikhalyova will make a report at the conference
“The Political Prospects of Women’s Movement
at the Present Stage”... |
| April 2, 2010 |
| The
leader of Sverdlovsk branch of YABLOKO wins the libel
case initiated by Yekaterinburg Mayor
Press Release, April 2, 2010
Today, on April 2, Yekaterinburg district
court turned down the libel claim motioned by the
city Mayor Arkady Chernetsky against deputy of the
city Duma and leader of the local branch of YABLOKO
Maxim Petlin. The court charged the Mayor RUR 20,000
(about USD 700) for compensation of the legal costs
incurred by Maxim Petlin.
Chernetsky started a legal case against Petlin after
the latter said in the TV programme that Chernetsky
had “sold half of kindergartens buildings”.
The Mayor called this phrase a libel and motioned
a libel case against Petlin. The second defender in
the court was Rossiya television channel which had
broadcasted Petlin’s interview and showed an
item on alienation of large number of kindergartens
in favour of Chernetsky’s family members... |
| April 1, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin: Murderers of Chechen farmers should be
punished
Press Release, April 1, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
forwarded to the head of the Investigative Committee
at the Public Prosecutor’s Office Alexander
Bastirkin a second address demanding to start criminal
persecutions on the murder of Chechen farmers gathering
herbs by the Arshty village in Ingushetia on February
11-12...
Mitrokhin’s letter based on
the facts obtained during investigation of the Memorial
human rights centre. Memorial proved that the versions
voiced by the top officials that the militants had
allegedly used the civilians as a shield and that
people had been killed due to the air strikes were
incorrect...
“I realise that after yesterday’s
statement by Umarov [where he took the responsibility
for the acts of terror in the Moscow Metro] the Investigative
Committee may have psychological difficulties with
the adoption of such a decision, however, this body
has to be guided by lawful interests of the citizens
protected by law rather than by bandits’ provocative
statements,” runs Mitrokhin’s letter...
|
| March 31, 2010 |
| New
edition of the book Overcoming Stalin’s Legacy
published
Press Release, March 31, 2010
The book provides the decision of
YABLOKO’s Political Committee on overcoming
Stalin’s and Bolsheviks’ legacy, offers
political assessment of the key issues of Russia’s
history in the 20th century and also suggests that
overcoming Stalinism and Bolshevism should be the
key pre-requisite of Russia’s modernisation.
Such a political decision containing an assessment
of the Stalin’s system and the coup of October
1917 was adopted for the first time in Russia... |
| Grigory
Yavlinsky paid tribute to the victims of bombing in
the Moscow metro
Press Release, March 31, 2010
Today, on the day of mourning of the
victims of the acts of terror in the Moscow metro,
the founder and the first chairman of the YABLOKO
party and member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee
Grigory Yavlinsky laid flowers at the Park Kultury
metro station... |
| March 29, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin on explosions in the Moscow Metro
Statement, March 29, 2010
On behalf of the YABLOKO party I am
expressing our deepest condolences to all the relatives
of the victims of today’s acts of terror, and our
support and compassion to all the victims.
I demand an objective and urgent investigation
of these crimes. I find it necessary that not only
the organisers of these acts of terror but also the
heads of the security bodies who did not draw any
lessons out of the previous crimes of this kind that
took place in Moscow and other cities in different
parts of the world.
|
| YABLOKO’s
rally for protection of the Lake Baikal conducted
in Ulan-Ude
Press Release, March 27, 2010
On March 27, a mass rally in protection
of the Lake Baikal took place in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia.
The rally was organised by YABLOKO’s branch
in Buryatia and ecological organisations. About 500
people came to the rally.
The participants of the rally demanded
to abrogate the Resolution of the Government of the
RF No 1 on launching the Baikal Pulp Plant. The rally
called the authorities to develop tourism in the area
which would create new jobs for the citizens of Baikalsk,
rather than creating jobs at environmentally unfriendly
enterprise...
|
| YABLOKO
and the Russian Medical Association announce their
cooperation
Press Release, March 27, 2010
On March 27, the Political Committee
of the YABLOKO party and the Russian Medical Association
(RMA) signed a Memorandum on cooperation in reforming
the healthcare in Russia.
The Memorandum fixed the intentions
of YABLOKO and the RMA to cooperate in development
of new approaches to the healthcare reform, determining
the priorities for the sector and protection of the
rights of the medical workers and the patients.
Representatives of the RMA headed
by their President Ashot Sarkisyan gave YABLOKO’s
Political Committee of their proposals on each of
the lines of cooperation...
|
| March 26, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
to apply to the Constitutional Court
Press Release, March 26, 2010
At its today’s meeting the Bureau
of the YABLOKO party adopted a decision to challenge
in the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation
the provisions of the federal law on elections binding
non-parliamentary parties to gather signatures so
that to get registration in election campaigns. YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin had already mentioned the
party’s intention to do this. “The main
thing that we shall challenge is demonstrative inequality
of parties participating in the elections. This barbarian
inequality does not allow to recognise Russia as a
civilised country,” Mitrokhin said.
The Bureau also drew the results of
March municipal and local elections in Russia. The
decision of the Bureau marked that the results of
the recent elections showed growth of support to YABLOKO.
Thus, elections to the Tula municipal parliament demonstrated
that the share of YABLOKO’s votes grew from
3.25 per cent to 11.22 per cent in less than six months.
Four YABLOKO’s activists were elected to the
Tula City Duma. YABLOKO’s candidates also passed
to the deputies assembly of the Nevelsky area of the
Pskov Region and City Duma of Solnechny settlement,
the Tver Region...
|
| Russia’s
Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin sends a letter to Public
Prosecutor in defence of the Khimki forest
Press Release, March 25, 2010
Russia’s Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin
asked Public Prosecutor Yury Chaika to examine whether
the government’s decision to construct a highway Moscow
– St.Petersburg that has to go through the Khimki
forest was lawful.
In accordance with the order of the
Government the lands of the Khimki forest were transferred
to the category of “industrial lands”.
In his letter to Public Prosecutor
Vladimir Lukin noted that the Khimki forest is a protected
natural territory in accordance with the Forestry
Code, thus any cuttings should be prohibited there...
|
| March 25, 2010 |
| Election
results in Miass, Chelyabinsk Region
Press Release, March 24, 2010
Vassily Potapov, leader of the Miass
branch of YABLOKO, again won the election race to
the assembly of the Miass city district. At the first
meeting of the new assembly Potapov was unanimously
elected chair of the Commission on Regulations, Ethics
and Public Relations.
“My first deputy term was a
kind of credit of trust, by my second term I regard
as support of my views as regards organisation of
city governing and my initiatives on making the district
more comfortable,” Potapov said. “However,
it is a pity that my colleague Viktor Strutz did not
manage to win in his electoral district. It would
be more difficult for me to find support in the assembly
without his participation...”
|
| March 24, 2010 |
| Stalin’s
portraits will split the nation on the Victory Day
An open address to the President
of the RF and Pobeda organisational committee, March
24, 2010
Respected Dmitry Anatolyevich,
On behalf of the YABLOKO party I am
supporting the decision of the Pobeda (Victory) organisational
committee [of the May 9 festivities] on inadmissibility
of using the Victory Day for Stalinist propaganda.
However, there are still doubts that
placards picturing Joseph Stalin, the executioner
of the Russian nation and other nations of the Soviet
Union, will not emerge in Moscow streets.
The Moscow government is free to initiate
such “social advertising”.
And the fair Victory Day will split
the nation as of the attitude to Joseph Stalin rather
than become a national unity day. We should not allow
that... |
| March 22, 2010 |
| About
500 people came to a rally in Penza
Press Release, March 20, 2010
A rally against raising of transport
tax took place in Penza. The rally was organised by
an initiative group of Penza car owners at support
of the YABLOKO party.
The regional authorities tried to
use the media of the city so that not to let people
come to the rally. However, about 500 people came
to the rally (a good result for Russia). The action
was also supported by the activists of the Volya party
and the Left Front movement...
The activists held slogans “Government
to dismissal!”, “Who will be responsible
for fiscal lawlessness?”, “A car is not
a luxury. The luxury is the tax”, etc...
|
| YABLOKO
brought 1,000 people to a rally in Saransk, Mordovia
Press Release, March 21, 2010
On March 21, 2010, a mass-scale rally
against corruption in the housing and utilities services
sector took place in Saransk, Mordovia. About 1,000
people gathered at the rally organised by YABLOKO.
Chair of the Mordovian YABLOKO Vladimir
Gridin opened the rally. In his speech he spoke about
unjustified raising of tariffs on electricity, heating
and other utilities, also he spoke about fraudulent
schemes of transfer of communal lands into municipal
land.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
also spoke at the rally. He laid the liability for
corruption and violations in the sector on the United
Russia party [as its members held the key posts in
the sector].
“This party [United Russia]
has been stealing your money which deputies and bureaucrats
make you pay for the poor quality or even lacking
services, as it has been stealing your votes, ascribing
itself 99 per cent of the votes at the State Duma
elections, “ Mitrokhin said. |
| March 19, 2010 |
| A
mass-scale rally against corruption in the housing
and utilities sector to take place in Saransk, Mordovia
Press Release, March 19, 2010
On Sunday, March 21, a mass-scale
rally against corruption in the housing and utilities
sector and unlawful seizure of lands by the authorities
of the republic will take place in Saransk, Mordovia.
The rally will begin at 1 p.m. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei
Mitrokhin will also make a speech at the rally.
The organiser of the action, Chair
of the Mordovian YABLOKO Vladimir Gridin told about
unlawful action of the companies providing housing
and utilities services. Thus, for example, heating
payments reach 2,000 roubles per a one bedroom flat,
whereas average wage amounts to only 5,000 roubles.
The city administration, despite the decisions of
the court, also refuses to transfer land belonging
to the blocks of flats to the citizens owning flats
in such houses... |
| Criminal
persecution against three activists of the Youth YABLOKO
in Omsk
Press Release. March 19, 2010
Three activists of the Omsk Youth
YABLOKO organisation arrested at night of March 18
are have been still detained. The Main Interior Department
informs that they are accused of vandalism, however,
the local police department which is detaining the
activists denies this and promises to release the
activists soon.
An annual action in support of freedom
of speech in Belarus has been held at night March
18 – 19. This is a part of international campaign
European Youth Against the Belarus Dictatorship. The
participants of the performance gag statues with banners
saying “Freedom to Belarus!”
Omsk YABLOKO activists Anton Zhebrun,
Mikhail Maglov and Andrei Yermilov were arrested by
police when they were gaging a Dostoyevsky statue.
They were escorted to the local police department
Centralnoye, where they were kept the whole night
without water and food. Anton Zhebrun had a heart
attack, the police called an ambulance. However, the
policemen did not allow the young people to make calls
via their mobile phones... |
| March 18, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin: Mayor of Moscow Luzhkov and head of the
Moscow police Kolokoltzev are responsible for disrupting
a protest motor race against construction of the nuclear
power station
Press Release. March 18, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
laid responsibility responsible for disrupting a protest
race against construction of the Monakovskaya nuclear
power station on Mayor of Moscow Luzhkov and head
of the Moscow police Kolokoltzev. “As a muscovite
I feel ashamed that it was Moscow that demonstrated
unlawful actions by the police to the full extent,”
he said.
At present the 25 participants of
the motor race are in the police station. They are
accused of violating the Administrative Code of Moscow,
as they have allegedly “interfered with the
traffic order by means of driving in a column with
slogans on their cars”, runs the protocol. The
activists disagree with the police. According to Mitrokhin,
this is the first case in his practice when a regional
rather than federal norm is applied to the participants. |
| OMON
and road police do not let the participants of the
motor race against construction of a nuclear power
station in the Nizhy Novgorod region to enter Moscow
Press Release. March 18, 2010
Special police forces (OMON) and road
police have been blocking the column of the motor
race against construction of a nuclear power station
in the Nizhy Novgorod region at the Moscow Circular
Road for 40 minutes already. YABLOKO’s activists and
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin are arrested. Some
cars the police left on the road, which led to a traffic
jam.
The participants of the race were
stopped at the Moscow Circular Road for checking of
their documents. However later a police official stated
that they were stopped “because of such unsanctioned
event”. Special police forces arrived probably to
assist the road police in checking the documents. |
| YABLOKO
to join a motor race against construction of a nuclear
power station in the Nizhny Novgorod Region
Press Release. March 17, 2010
A rally against construction of a
nuclear power station in the Nizhny Novgorod Region
organised by ecological organisations and YABLOKO
will take place in the centre of Moscow on March 18.
A motor race Murom – Moscow
against construction of the nuclear power station
started today. On March 18 YABLOKO’s activists
together with party leader Sergei Mitrokhin will meet
the participants of the race in the Moscow region
and join the race.
“My task is to ensure that the
motor column is allowed to enter Moscow, as the participants
expressed their concern that the column would be stopped
by Moscow,” Sergei Mitrokhin. Today protesters
have been stopped by the police several times and
their passport data were copied. |
| March 17, 2010 |
| Results
of local elections of March 14
Press Release. March 17, 2010
The
YABLOKO party obtained over 11 per cent of votes at
the Tula City Duma elections getting the right from
three to four mandates.
Also YABLOKO’s
list got 28.5 per cent of the votes at elections to
local legislative assembly of the Solnechny settlement,
the Tver region. At present YABLOKO’s deputies
are forming a faction YABLOKO – United Democrats
in the municipal parliament.
Olga Kurmanskaya,
Chair of Commission for Education, Culture and Social
Policies and Anatoly Makarov, pensioner and acting
deputy of the Astrakhan City Duma were supported by
YABLOKO and became deputies of the Astrakhan City
Duma getting 49 per cent and 67 per cent of the votes
respectively.
YABLOKO’s
list at elections to the local assembly of the Nevelsky
Area of the Pskov Region was supported by 7.58 per
cent of the voters (fourth place). Thus, the party
overcomes the barrier and obtains one mandate (as
nine mandates out of 17 are distributed in accordance
with party lists). Lawyer Svetlana Arsenyeva will
become a deputy from YABLOKO. |
| March 16, 2010 |
| Bribing
of voters in Tula confirmed by statistical analysis
Press Release. March 15, 2010
Statistical analysis of the voting
in Tula at Sunday’s elections to the city parliament
demonstrates an obvious correlation between the percentage
of the votes obtained by the parties and the voters
turnover. The higher is the turnout at an electoral
district (a territory), the higher is the average
number of voters giving their votes for progovernmental
United Russia party, and, consequently, the lower
is the percentage for other parties.
This abnormal correlation is observed
both at breakdown of the votes as of polling station
and as of electoral district (territory). Such a correlation
is one more proof that United Russia was bribing voters. |
| Candidates
supported by YABLOKO get mandates in the Astrakhan
City Duma
Press Release. March 15, 2010
Two candidates – Anatoly Makarov
and Olga Kurmanskaya – supported by the YABLOKO
party got mandates in the Astrakhan City Duma. Both
Makarov and Kurmanskaya led in the vote in their electoral
districts getting 66.7 and 56.9 per cent of the votes,
respectively.
Other YABLOKO’s candidates –
Tatyana Semyonova, Igor Avdeyev and Oleg Alexeyev
– obtained from 7 to 18 per cent of the votes
failing to win the mandates.
“All the participants of the
electoral process mark the imitational character of
the election to the city parliament. All the results
of the voting have been falsified to a lesser of greater
extent: for example, there were cases when about 30
per cent of the electorate at one of the electoral
districts voted per-term and all for the same candidate,”
noted Vadim Monin, leader of
the Astrakhan branch of YABLOKO. |
| March 15, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
obtains 11 per cent of the votes in Tula. Press
Release. March 15, 2010
YABLOKO obtained over 11 per cent
of the votes at parliamentary elections in Tula, which
gives a right of three or four mandates in the regional
parliament. However, election campaign was accompanied
by multiple violations. Bribing of votes in favour
of the United Russia party was observed during pre-term
voting and multiple violations took place on the election
day.
YABLOKO’s list at the Solnechniy
settlement of the Tver Region obtained about 30% of
the votes.
YABLOKO’s list at elections
of the Assembly of the Nevelsky Area of the Pskov
Region is on the verge of overcoming the barrier,
however due to multirple fraud the data has not been
submitted to the GAS Vibory system (electronic election
data base) yet. Nevertheless YABLOKO’s activists
obtained 13 mandates in other municipal settlements
of the region.
Olga Kurmanskaya and Anatoly Makarov
supported by YABLOKO became members of the Astrakhan
City Duma obtaining 49 and 67 per cent of the votes
in the region electoral districts respectively.
YABLOKO will also get two mandates
in the Assembly of the Krasnokamsky Area of the Perm
Region. Svetlana Ivanova obtained over 55 per cent
of the votes in her district and Arkady Kolokolov
over 57 per cent.
Vassily Potapov, YABLOKO’s leader
in Miass of the Chelyabinsk Region, obtained about
50 per cent of the votes and was reelected deputy
of the Council of Deputies of Miass... |
| YABLOKO
participates in elections in 15 Russia’s regions.
Press Release. March 14, 2010
The YABLOKO party participates in
local and municipal elections in 15 Russia’s
regions: Astrakhan, Voronezh, Kirov, Lipetsk, Tula,
Omsk, Pskov, Rostov, Tver, Chelyabinsk regions, Krasnoyarsk,
Perm and Khabarovsk areas, the Moscow region and St.Petersburg.
Chair of YABLOKO’s branch in
the Khabarovsk area Igor Khovansky runs at parliamentary
elections in the Khabarovsk area from YABLOKO.
YABLOKO’s activists also compete
for the posts of heads of two large municipal entities:
Igor Pershin runs for the Mayor of Shakhti, the Rostov
region, and Sergei Parvitsky runs for the post of
the head of the Shatura municipal area, the Moscow
region.
57 members of YABLOKO compete for
48 parliamentary mandates in the Tula city parliament.
YABLOKO’s list is topped by Sergei Filatov,
the present deputy of the city Duma.
A heated campaign has developed in
the Pskov region. YABLOKO’s candidates run in
12 municipal areas of the region.
However, electoral commissions of
the Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions refused to register
YABLOKO in the campaigns to regional parliaments on
faked pretexts. |
| Tula:
violations elections to the city parliament. Press
Release. March 14, 2010
Counting of votes at parliamentary
elections in Tula goes on. According to the preliminary
data YABLOKO obtains 13 per cent of the votes which
means three or four mandates in the city parliament.
At the same time observers have fixed multiple violations.
Thus, abnormally high voting outside
the polling station was observed at electoral district
No 421. About 400 people referring to this district
voted at home. YABLOKO’s observer Olga Ushakova
lodged a complaint so that the results of the voting
at this electoral district should be recognised void.
The electoral commission insisted on counting these
400 votes and threatened to expel her from the polling
station...
Polling station No 390 demonstrated
that about half of all the notifications of voting
at home (totaling 89) was received in a single pool
at 10 a.m... |
| March 12, 2010 |
| For
the visa-free travel between Russia and the EU as
a way to promote mutual trust and cooperation
Speech by Sergei Mitrokhin
at ELDR Council meeting, Rome, March 12, 2010
In my view, elimination of visa barriers
between Russia and Europe should be examined and solved
by politicians rather than bureaucrats. All we need
is political will towards such strategic decision-making.
Long-term advantages here both for Russia and Europe
considerably overweight bureaucratic problems. And
it will also allow us to solve such issues as, for
example, work permits and registration for foreign
citizens working in Russia, which should be part of
the general agreement on elimination of visa barriers.
For the Russian citizens the freedom
of movement within Europe is not reduced only to facilitation
of their business, study or tourist trips (though
this is also very important). This means their normal
life within a single European civilization on the
basis of mutually shared principles and values. This
issue has become especially acute when visa barriers
separated us from our close Eastern European neighbours.
However, close interaction with them has always been
very important when we speak about European trends
in Russia.
|
| Urgency
Resolution submitted by the YABLOKO party to the ELDR
Council. Rome, March 12, 2010.
The ELDR Council convening in Rome
on March 12-13, 2010,
Expresses concern in view of:
- ongoing discrimination of its member-party YABLOKO
at Russian elections, especially in the Sverdlovsk
and Kaluga regions;
- discrepancy between President Medvedev’s statements
on liberalization of elections and persecutions against
YABLOKO
States that:
- ELDR will submit the issue to the CE and Europarliament
Calls on the Russian authorities to:
- take urgent remedial measures in ensuring free and
fair elections and maximum public control over voting;
- observe Russia’s obligations on ensuring democratic
standards under its membership in the OSCE and the
CE. |
| Progovernmental
United Russia is buying off votes in Tula
Statement by the party Chairman.
March 12, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO is expressing its indignation with the situation
when the United Russia party has been openly and blatantly
violating the law at the Tula City Duma elections.
Mass-scale and virtually open bribing of voters has
been taking place in the city. A vote in favour of
the United Russia party costs from 400 to 500 roubles
at pre-term voting. About 10 per cent of the electorate
have already voted at eight polling stations (No 419,
423, 424, 428 – 432).
The Altair cable television channel
has been broadcasting a reel where those voting for
the United Russia party are guaranteed free subscription
to the channel.
Bribing of voters has been at polling
station No 52 was video recorded and confirmed by
the witnesses at the police station.
Such actions by the United Russia
party on the threashold of the election day make us
doubt the results of the overall voting in the city. |
| The
Supreme Court did not let YABLOKO to participate in
the election campaign in the Sverdlovsk Region
Press Release. March 12, 2010
The Supreme Court did not let YABLOKO
to participate in the election campaign to the regional
parliament in the Sverdlovsk Region. YABLOKO’s
complaint on the decision of the Sverdlovsk Region
Court (which ruled out the refusal of the regional
election commission to register YABLOKO is the race
was lawful) was not satisfied.
Thus, YABLOKO was not allowed to participate
in the regional elections. On March 9 the Supreme
Court also adopted the same decision on the complaint
of the Kaluga branch of YABLOKO. |
| March 11, 2010 |
| Officials
offer apology to YABLOKO’s ecologist
Press Release. March 10, 2010
Officials from Administration of the
Lomonosovsky District of the Leningrad region offered
their apology to Alexander Senotrusov, deputy head
of YABLOKO’s Green faction, for their intention
to dismiss him from school where he had been working
as a teacher and their suspension of functioning of
a children’s club where he also worked. Persecutions
against YABLOKO’s activist began after his interview
to the NTV television channel.
On March 7, NTV released a piece devoted
to the practices of unlawful construction of cottages
in the natural reserves. Alexander Senotrusov told
the journalists about unlawful construction at the
Lebyazhiye village situated on Gulf of Finland shore.
After this the district administration
began persecutions against the teacher. Local bureaucrats
were going to dismiss Alexander Senotrusov as redundant
and also cut off electricity in the children’s
club where he worked.
|
| YABLOKO’s
leader to meet with electorate in Tula
Press Release. March 11, 2010
Today, on March 11, YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin will meet with electorate
in Tula.
Elections to the Tula City Duma will
take place on Sunday, March 14. YABLOKO’s list
is topped by the present deputy of the city parliament
Sergei Filatov. At this election 57 members of YABLOKO
will compete for 48 mandates.
The key topics for Sergei Mitrokhin’s
meeting with the voters will be transparency of the
tariffs and fight with corruption in the housing and
utilities sector, as restoration of lawfulness in
the sector has become the key slogan of YABLOKO’s
campaign in Tula.
|
| European
liberals to discuss a visa-free regime between Russia
and the EU
Press Release. March 11, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
is going to get support to YABLOKO’s initiative
on introduction of a visa-free regime between Russia
and the EU from European liberals during the annual
meeting of ELDR Council which will take place in Rome
on March 12-13.
On the threashold of the meeting Russian
Vedomosti newspaper published an article by Finnish
Foreign Minister Mr.Alexander Stubb where he stated
the adherence of Finland to the agreement between
the RF and the EU on facilitation of the visa regime
which came into force in summer 2007, as well as called
the Russian authorities “to concretize and accelerate”
the work in this direction. “Finland would welcome
a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia and will
spare no effort for hitting this goal,” Mr.
Stubb stated. “I hope that Russian leaders will
have enough insistence and political will so that
to facilitate the necessary reforms,” he wrote.
Sergei Mitrokhin discussed the problem
of introduction of the visa-free regime at the meeting
with Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the
Russian Federation Matti Anttonen on February 17.
|
| March 10, 2010 |
| Mass-scale
buying of votes in favour of the United Russia and
the Just Russia party observed at pre-term elections
in Tula
Press Release. March 10, 2010
The Tula branch of YABLOKO recorded
a mass-scale buying of votes in favour of the United
Russia and the Just Russia party observed at pre-term
elections to the Tula parliament. A vote cast for
United Russia cost 500 roubles and a vote for the
Just Russia party cost 100 roubles.
Today, on March 10 at about 11 a.m.,
YABLOKO’s election headquarters received a telephone
call about a bribe of electorate at polling stations
No 369 and 370 located in school No 52. Several cars
were parked in the yard of one of the houses near
the school. Unknown persons from the cars first put
down the data of the voters and after their voting
gave money to them.
Sergei Filatov, one of the leaders
of YABLOKO’s election list and deputy of the
Tula parliament, arrived to the polling station and
discovered queues by the school building. He recorded
all he saw (see the recording), interviewed
the voter and also called the police.
|
| YABLOKO
to dispute the legitimacy of collection of signatures
in the Constitutional Court of the RF
Press Release. March 9, 2010
The Supreme Court of the RF refused
to annul the decision of the regional electoral commission
not to register YABLOKO at elections to the parliament
of the Kaluga region. YABLOKO is going to appeal to
the Constitutional Court of the RF with a claim to
abrogate the norms requiring a number of parties to
collect signatures so that to get registration at
election campaigns.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
participated in the hearings in the Supreme Court
and said that the “decision of the Supreme Court
was arbitrary”. The Supreme Court did not consider
YABLOKO’s arguments, Mitrokhin added.
|
| March 5, 2010 |
| Public
organisations and political parties of Kaliningrad
join in a coalition
Press Release. March 4, 2010
On March 3 during the second meeting
of the Coordination Council leaders of political parties
and public organisations and movements functioning
in the Kaliningrad region signed a joint document
on creation of a coalition targeted at stopping the
monopoly of the progovernmental United Russia party
in the Kaliningrad region.
A press-conference of the new coalition
will take place in the Regional Duma on March 5 at
1 p.m. The participants will present the text of the
agreement opened for all the parties and organisations
sharing this platform and will also answer the journalists’
questions.
|
| March 4, 2010 |
| Grigory
Yavlinsky visited the Astrakhan Region
Press Release. March 4, 2010
On March 3 member of YABLOKO’s Political
Committee made a visit to the Astrakhan Region within
the framework of election campaign to the Astrakhan
City Duma.
Grigory Yavlinsky had a meeting with
Governor Alexander Zhilkin. The Governor spoke in
detail about implementation of the long-term strategy
of socio-economic development of the region. “The
executive authority of the region has been working
in close contact with the Public Chamber of the region,
trade unions, deputies and representatives of political
parties,” Zhilkin noted. The Governor also showed
his interest in further cooperation with YABLOKO.
The Governor also highly assessed the work of the
representatives of YABLOKO in the Administration of
the region.
|
| Conference
“Women’s Movement in Russia: Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow” took place in YABLOKO’s
Moscow office
Press Release. March 1, 2010
Conference “Women’s Movement
in Russia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” took
place in YABLOKO’s Moscow office on February
26. 75 heads of leading women’s organisations
and experts from Moscow, St.Petersburg, Novosibirsk,
Ekaterinburg and Perm participated in the conference.
The conference was broadcasted life via YABLOKO’s
web-site.
Galina Mikhalyova, moderator of the
conference, Chair of the Gender faction of the YABLOKO
party and Co-Chair of the Council for Consolidation
of Women’s Movement in Russia stressed the difficulties
in the development of women’s movement in the
situation of increasing discrimination of women in
Russia in all spheres of life and the need to consolidate
efforts of public organisations, expert community,
journalists and political forces for realization of
the gender equality principles. YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin noted that YABLOKO is the only Russian
party fighting for gender equality and proclaiming
equality of rights and opportunities for men and women.
|
| March 3, 2010 |
| Sergei
Kovalyov has turned 80!
Congratulations from Sergei
Mitrokhin. March
2, 2010
Dear Sergei Adamovich,
On behalf of all YABLOKO members I
am sending you our heartiest congratulations on your
birthday.
Your life deserves not only admiration,
but careful study. The hard moral choice you’ve
always been making confirms one thing: following the
way of truth and one’s own convictions can lead
to any consequences – either to establishment
or break of human relations, – however, in the
end it always proves that such a choice must be made
against all the odds. You have never recoiled from
your truth. We are proud that we are working together
with you and that we can adopt from you the best qualities
of Russian human rights defenders.
We are wishing you health, strength
and patience!
Sincerely,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party
|
| Action
“Churov, it’s time for you to have a shave!”
led 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.
|
| March 2, 2010 |
| Sverdlovsk
Region branch of YABLOKO appeals to the Supreme Court
of the Russian Federation
Press Release. March 2, 2010
The Sverdlovsk Region branch of YABLOKO
filed an appeal in the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation with a demand to abrogate the decision
of the Electoral Commission of the Sverdlovsk Region
which did not allow YABLOKO to run in the election
campaign to the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk
Region.
YABLOKO had already filed a complaint
to the Sverdlovsk Region Court with a plea to annul
the decision of the electoral commission denying YABLOKO
a registration in the race. The working group of the
electoral commission had announced that 56% of the
signatures collected in favour of YABLOKO and required
for registration in the elections be void. The regional
court had not left the decision of the electoral commission
without change.
|
| March 1, 2010 |
| Picketing
in Ufa: “Decent Pensions to the Military Pensioners!”
Press Release. March 1, 2010
Picketing for the right of the military
pensioners to decent pensions took place in the centre
of Ufa (Bashkiria) on February 27.
The picket was organised by the Bashkirian
regional branch of the YABLOKO party. The picket was
conducted under the slogan “Decent Pensions to the
Military Pensioners!”
In spite of the fact that 30 activists
had to participate in the action, the actual number
of participants grew to 50. Citizens dissatisfied
with the actions of Bashkirian government, administration
of Ufa and the law enforcement also joined the picket...
|
| Picket
against discrimination of military pensioners in Blagoveschensk
Press Release. February 26,
2010
Picket against discrimination of military
pensioners took place in Blagoveschensk (the Amur
Region) on February 23 (Defender of the Fatherland
Day).
The action was organised by the Amur
Region branch of YABLOKO. The city government gave
a permission to conduct the action in the center of
the city...
Despite preliminary announcements
of the action none of the local journalists risked
to go against Governor’s order and report on
the action in the media...
|
| Non-registration
of YABLOKO in the regional elections: a hypocrisy
or a weakness of the presidential power?
Statement by the Bureau of
the YABLOKO party. February 27, 2010
Right after President Medvedev’s
statement made at the State Council meeting on the
need to
facilitate political competition and democratization
of the political system YABLOKO was cynically and
unlawfully withdrawn from elections to the legislative
assemblies of the Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions, the
regions where YABLOKO enjoyed considerable support
from the electorate.
The signatures collected in support
of YABLOKO’s election lists were announced “invalid”
on
factitious unlawful grounds. The Chair of the electoral
commission of the Sverdlovsk region publicly announced
that signatures in support of YABLOKO would be recognised
invalid already when YABLOKO had only been collecting
these signatures. The electoral commission of the
Kaluga region made all it could so that not to allow
the leaders of the regional YABLOKO branch to participate
in the audit of the signatures.
YABLOKO’s lodging complaints
of such refusals in courts did not lead anywhere –
the courts, as well as electoral commissions, refused
to examine the evidence submitted by YABLOKO’s
activists... |
| February 27,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
protests against sending schoolchildren to the barracks
Statement of the YABLOKO party.
February 26, 2010
The YABLOKO party expresses its resolute
protest against the plans of the Moscow government
to restore the [Soviet] system of preservice military
training with regular encampments of schoolchildren
and introduction of the fundamentals of the military
service as a subject in the school curriculum.
We think that the Concept of Preservice
Training of the Young People in Moscow Until 2020
endangers life and health of the young Muscovites
and is targeted at conservation of the present problems
rather than reconstruction of the army, which inevitably
leads to further degradation of the armed forces.
The present system of conscription
to the Armed Forces of Russia serves only for justification
of the existence of the Russian military bureaucracy
and their deriving profits from gratuitous soldiers’
labour. Mass-scale violations of the rights of the
young people of the conscription age and harassment
– derision, beatings and blackmail – have
become a daily reality in the army.
|
| February 26,
2010 |
| Regional
Court did not let YABLOKO to participate in the election
campaign to the Sverdlovsk Region parliament
Press Release. February 26,
2010
Sverdlovsk Region Court left without
changed the decision of the Electoral Commission not
to register YABLOKO in the election campaign to the
Sverdlovsk Region parliament. The decision was adopted
yesterday night.
The working group of the electoral
commission basing on the graphological expertise recognised
56% of the signatures collected by YABLOKO in support
of its election list invalid.
The court heard only one expert who
explained that “he and his colleagues based
on their experience and qualification”. However,
he failed to give a detailed answer to a single question,
repeating that “such was the result of the expertise”.
|
| Sergei
Mitrokhin: the reform of the interior should begin
from the “clean hands” operation
Press Release. February 25,
2010
Round table “The Reform of the
Interior Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society”
initiated by Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO Andrei
Babushkin took place in the press centre of the Moscow
Interior department on February 25.
Representatives of human rights organisations
including such renowned figures as Ludmila Alexeyeva
and Valery Borschyov participated in the round table.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin also participated
in the discussion. “The interior needs not simply
to make staff reduction, but anti-corruption cleaning,”
Mitrokhin said.
|
| February 25,
2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
action in protection of Utrish and Baikal
Press Release. February 25,
2010
A rally in protection of the Utrish
national reserve park and the Baikal Lake took place
in the centre of Krasnodar on February 20. The rally
was organised by YABLOKO’s activist Andrei Rudomakha.
After the rally the participants marched
along the main street of the city and held a second
rally at the end of the march.
About 300 – 350 people took part in
the action. |
| 20
years ago the citizens of Saratov struggled for freedom
and decent life
Press Release. February 25,
2010
A series of mass manifestations against
the party of power took place in Saratov 20 years
ago, in February 1990.
On February 11 the first meetings
of the citizens took place and public organisation
The Committee of February 11 was organised. On February
24 thousands of people marched through the streets
of the city, broke the police cordons and gathered
on a rally at the Revolution Square (the Theatre Square
at present) under the slogans “Out with Dogmatists,
Bureaucrats and Conservatives!”, “The
CPSU Brakes Perestroika!”, “For the Soviets
without Communists!” and “The USSR Is
Prison of Nations”. The citizens demanded social
justice and free elections into representatives bodies
of power – the Soviets of People’s Deputies
– so that to break away with the political monopoly
of the ruling party (the communist party then) and
negligence of the bureaucrats leading the country
to the collapse. |
| Kaluga
Region Court turns down YABLOKO’s claim regarding
registration of the party in the election campaign
Press Release. February 25,
2010
The Court of the Kaluga Region turned
down YABLOKO’s claim regarding registration
of the party in the election campaign to the regional
parliament.
The experts of the regional electoral
commission announced 600 signatures out of total 8,452
collected in support of YABLOKO’s list invalid
(at permissible number of defective signatures amounting
to 400). YABLOKO managed to prove in court that the
signatures were valid only in 77 cases, however, to
get registered the party had to obtain such a decision
on 201 signatures.
YABLOKO’s activist and deputy
of the Kaluga regional parliament Sergei Fadeyev who
participated in the trial on behalf of YABLOKO, said
that the electoral commission “had lied and
mixed everything up wherever possible”. YABLOKO’s
activists gave their reasoning for annulment of the
decision not to register YABLOKO’s list, however,
the court did not consider them “worthy of consideration”.
|
| February 24,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
continues “Decent Pensions to the Military”
campaign
Press Release. February 24,
2010
Rallies and pickets took place in
different Russia’s cities within the framework
of YABLOKO’s campaign “Decent Pensions
to the Military” on February 23, the Defender
of the Fatherland Day.
About thousand people came to the
rally in Lipetsk demanding to raise scanty military
pensions. Military pensioners, YABLOKO’s activists
and CPRF activists held slogans “Putin to Dismissal!”,
“Military Pension – a Disgrace of the
Government!”...
Four pickets were organised in Novgorod:
YABLOKO’s activists distributed leaflets and
collected signatures under the address to the Russian
President. The residents of the city even queued at
one of the pickets located in the centre of the city
so that to put their signatures under an address to
Dmitry Medvedev demanding to change the system of
calculation of military pensions... |
| YABLOKO
to organise round table “The Reform of the Interior
Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society”
Press Release. February 24,
2010
Round table “The Reform of the
Interior Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society”
will be conducted on the initiative of Andrei Babushkin,
Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO and Co-Chair of
the Human Rights faction of the party in the press
centre of the Moscow Interior Department, on Thursday,
February 25.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
will participate in the round table. Other guest speakers
are:
Ludmila Alexeyeva, the Moscow Helsinki Group,
Valery Gribakin, head of the Information and Public
Relations Department of the Interior Ministry of the
RF,
Alexander Zharov, Ombudsman for the Moscow Region,
Alexander Zimin, leading expert of the Moscow University
of the Interior Ministry,
Svetlana Gannushkina, Grazhdanskoye Sodeistviye (Civil
Support)
Vladimir Lukin, Russia’s ombudsman,
Alexander Muzikantsky, Moscow ombudsman,
Ella Pamfilova, Civil Society and Human Rights Council
under the President of the RF,
Lev Ponomaryov, For the Human Rights movement,
Genry Reznik, Moscow Bar Association...
|
| YABLOKO’s
leader supports the head of Russia’s Foreign
Affairs Ministry
Press Release. February 24,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
welcomes today’s statement by the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on introduction
of a visa-free regime between Russia and EU.
“We hope that consultations
conducted by experts will reach a solution in the
nearest perspective and we shall be able to speak
about definite time [for implementation of the visa-free
regime] then. Russia is ready to transfer to a visa-free
regime with Russia already tomorrow,” Sergei
Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, told the
journalists after his negotiations with Catherine
Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union.
|
| February 23,
2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
activists leave the court protesting against collusion
of the judge with OMON
Press Release. February 23,
2010
The arrested activists – YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin, General Major Anton Goretsky
and Artur Grokhovsky, aid of YABLOKO’s leader,
spent over an hour in the district court waiting for
hearings on their case. After an hour expired they
went to the courtroom to find out when the hearings
were to take place. However, they saw a judge discussing
something with the OMON policemen who were witnesses
on the case. According to Grokhovsky, several policemen
were standing by the judge’s table and one of
them was even sitting on the table. However, the judge
demanded to close the door and not to interfere into
the discussion.
YABLOKO’s activists left the court in protest
against collusion of the judge and the police, despite
resistance of the policemen who brought them to the
court. “I think that what has happened is a
manifestation of an arbitrary rule and also a humiliation
to General Goretsky who on the Day of the Defender
of the Fatherland was kept in the police station for
three hours and then kept in court,” Mitrokhin
said. “The judge not only behaved incorrectly
towards us, but even tried to make a collusion with
the witnesses who were actually a party in the case,”
he noted.
|
| YABLOKO’s
leader and General Major arrested for picketing in
protection of military pensioners’ rights
Press
Release. February 23, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
and leader of the Moscow Region YABLOKO General Major
Anton Goretsky were arrested for conducting a picket
in protection of the military pensioners’ rights
that had not been coordinated with the authorities.
The local authorities declined YABLOKO’s application
to conduct picketing by the Ministry of Defence on
February 23 (the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland).
However, the same action had been allowed on January
20.
The participants of the picket held slogans “Scanty
Military Pensions – a Disgrace to the State!”
when about 15 OMON policemen arrested YABLOKO’s
activists and drove them to the local police station. |
| February 20,
2010 |
| The
Pensioners’ Party joins YABLOKO
Press
Release. February 20, 2010
Today, on February 20, All-Russia
congress of the Elder Generation public association
formed on the basis of the former Pensioners’
Party took place in YABLOKO’s office in Moscow.
The congress adopted a decision of a merger with YABLOKO
via creation of the Russia’s Pensioners faction
in YABLOKO.
Delegates from 24 Russia’s regions
participated in the congress: 22 delegates voted for
the merger and 2 abstained. The Elder Generation has
branches in 32 Russia’s regions.
The leader of the Elder Generation
Alexei Borschenko called YABLOKO “the only party
which can at present protect the interests of Russia’s
pensioners”. He also reiterated that pensioners
constitute about one third of Russia’s population. |
| February 19,
2010 |
| YABLOKO
enters litigation disputing the decision of the regional
electoral commission
Press
Release. February 19, 2010
Litigation initiated by the YABLOKO
party disputing the refusal of the regional electoral
commission to register YABLOKO’s list in the election
race to the regional parliament began in the Sverdlovsk
Region Court on February 18...
The leader of Sverdolovsk YABLOKO
Maxim Petlin said “We have just begun our analysis
of the lists of signatures rejected by the commission,
as the commission have refused to give them to us
until this moment, we shall work throughout all the
four days-off [February 20-23] and I am sure that
by [the next hearings] February 24 we shall have a
lot of arguments supporting our position.” |
| Court
refused to satisfy YABLOKO’s suit on cancellation
of the results of the voting at two Moscow electoral
districts
Press Release. February 18,
2010
Simonovsky District Court, Moscow,
refused to satisfy YABLOKO’s suit on cancellation
of the results of the voting at two Moscow electoral
districts, where progovernmental United Russia obtained
231 additional votes via fraud.
The judge chose to conduct hearings
in the absence of YABLOKO’s representative. She also
prohibited journalist from the Kommersant-Vlast paper
to take notes during the process.
YABLOKO’s arguments based on a considerable
discrepancy between the protocols given to the observers
on the election day October 11, 2009, and the official
results of the voting. Thus 96 votes were taken LDPR,
Just Russia and Patriots of Russia and added to the
United Russia party. The chair of this electoral commission
explained this by an error. “Provisional” protocols
where figures represented a mere “guess work” were
allegedly given to the observers, however, later the
mistake was detected and amended. However, the chair
of the commission failed to explain how this “guess
work” managed to virtually coincide with the real
results of the voting, especially in case of YABLOKO
and CPRF. |
| Portraits
of Joseph Stalin have no place in the Victory Day
celebrations
Statement of the Chairman
of the YABLOKO party. February 18, 2010
Placards picturing Joseph Stalin that
have recently appeared in Moscow represent an insult
to the memory of our fathers, grandfathers and great
grandfathers who won a victory over fascism. This
is another manifestation of hatred towards Russian
people and all other nations of Russia and the former
USSR that suffered from the genocide launched by Stalin.
Many years have passed since the end
of the Second World War, and multiple documents and
facts showing that the Victory was won despite of
rather than owing to Joseph Stalin and his system
have been disclosed...
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO proposes to place in Moscow streets and squares
placards reproducing war-time photographs and showing
the heroism of the true victors of the war.
|
| The
Pensioners’ Party to join YABLOKO
Press
Release. February 19, 2010
On Saturday, February 20, the All-Russian
Congress of the Elder Generation public association
(formed on the basis of the former Pensioners’
Party) will take place in YABLOKO’s office in
Moscow.
The congress will finalise the merger
adopting a decision on formation of the Russia’s
Pensioners faction within YABLOKO. A general agreement
on the merger of two political organisations was reached
in October 2009.
A joint briefing by YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin and Alexei Borschenko, the
leader of the Elder Generation will begin at 3 p.m. |
| February 17,
2010 |
| Two
Moscow district courts to adopt decisions on YABLOKO’s
suits
Press Release. February 17,
2010
Tomorrow, February 18, Simonovsky
District Court, Moscow, will adopt decision on YABLOKO’s
suit regarding cancellation of the results of the
voting at electoral districts No 1696 and 1701 on
October 11 election. These districts added 231 votes
to progovernmental United Russia party via fraud...
The hearings will begin at 2 p.m. Address: Vostochnaya
ul. 2, stoyeniye 6. Judge Titarova.
On Friday, February 19, Preobrazhensky
District Court, Moscow, will make a ruling concerning
the results of the voting at polling station No 1062.
According to the copies of protocols given to YABLOKO’s
observers, the official total of the votes cast at
the polling station considerably increased the total
of the votes cast for each of the parties in accordance
with the protocols given to the observers. The
hearings will begin at 10-30 a.m. Address: 2nd Bukhvostova
ul. 4. Judge Yegorov. |
| YABLOKO
insists that the Chair of the Investigative Committee
at the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation
should take under control investigation of a killing
of civilians in Ingushetia
Press Release. February 17,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
asked Alexander Bastyrkin, Chair of the Investigative
Committee at the Public Prosecutor's Office of the
Russian Federation, to take under his personal control
investigation of a killing of civilians on the Chechen-Ingush
border during special operation on February 11 –
12, 2010.
“The investigation conducted
on February 13 – 14 by the Memorial human rights
centre showed that the versions worded by the officials
– that civilians had been used by the militants
as a human shield and died because of the air-to-ground
attack – were incorrect,” ran the letter...
At least 70 local civilians engaged
in agricultural works turned out to be in the area
of a special operation. The authorities had the information
about their work in the area, as they had given a
special permit for agricultural works to the local
residents there, however, the officials did not take
measures so that to evacuate people to a safe place.
At least four persons were killed. According to the
Memorial’s data they were gunned at a short
range and possibly fired “insurance” shots
afterwards. |
| One
more provocation against Maxim Reznik, leader of St.Petersburg
branch of YABLOKO
Press Release. February 17,
2010
On February 17 (about 7 a.m.) Olga
Galkina, deputy of the municipal council of the Morskoi
district from the YABLOKO party found out leaflets
on the block of flats where she lived running that
police was allegedly looking for a “dangerous
criminal Maxim Lvovich Reznik accused of grave crimes”...
The leaflets also called the citizens to call the
telephone numbers indicated in the text so that to
help the police to arrest a “dangerous criminal”.
The given telephone numbers turned out to be the numbers
of the local police department, St.Petersburg’s
YABLOKO office and the school where Maxim works as
a teacher of history...
“It is obvious that this mean
action has been paid for and is aiming at exerting
psychological pressure on myself and my relatives.
It is especially mean that these people indicated
telephone number of the school where I work,”
Reznik said. “After today’s provocation
I can not say that the December and January incidents
[when Reznik was arrested by police when he was going
home from a supermarket for alleged “drinking
alcohol in a public place” and attack on their
family car] were a mere coincidence.” |
| The
hearings in the Kaluga Region Court to continue on
February 17, 2010
Press Release. February 17,
2010
YABLOKO’s litigation on the
cancellation of the resolution of the Regional Electoral
Commission turning down the registration of a of YABLOKO
and Joint Democrat’s list in the election race
to the regional parliament will continue on February
17. |
| February 16,
2010 |
| Sverdlovsk
YABLOKO demands to annul the decision of the electoral
commission not to register YABLOKO in the election
race
Press Release. February 16,
2010
The Sverdlovsk region branch of YABLOKO
applied to the regional court demanding annul the
decision of the electoral commission not to register
YABLOKO in election race to the regional parliament.
YABLOKO’s activists provide
a list of violations made by the Regional Electoral
Commission in checking signatures collected by YABLOKO.
For example, graphology experts gave contradictory
conclusions concerning the same signatures: in first
group of experts acknowledged the signatures valid;
whereas the second group of experts found the same
signatures invalid. |
| The
leader of Gelendzhik YABLOKO is forced to quit his
job because of a rally
Press Release, February 12,
2010
On January 31, 2010, Gelendzhik YABLOKO
conducted a meeting of protest against destruction
of the Utrish relict lagoons, where the Presidential
Property Management Department planned to build a
“sports and recreation complex” and Administration
of the Krasnodar Area – commercial buildings.
Public protest action took place by the city Administration
building.
And already on February 5, Sergei
Buldakov, leader of the local YABLOKO branch was informed
that he was transferred to another work place located
in 57 km from his current place. Alexander Umitbayaev,
Director General of the Vodokanal municipal state
company, where Buldakov worked informed Buldakov of
this transfer. |
| Boris
Vishnevsky receives Russia’s Golden Pen award
Press Release, February 13,
2010
One of the most brilliant Russia’s
journalists and member of YABLOKO Boris Vishnevsky
has become laureate of the highest award of the Union
of Journalists of Russia.
On February 12, 2010, journalist of
Novaya Gazeta Boris Vishnevsky was announced to win
Russia’s Golden Pen award. He has become the
first journalist from St.Petersburg who was awarded
the prize. Chairman of the Union of Journalists Vsevolod
Bogdanov handed Vishnevsky the award for “a
series of publications in the federal and regional
papers on the building of the [scandalous] Gazprom’s
skyscraper in St.Petersburg”.
“I am very glad to receive this award for my
publications against building of the Okhta-Centre,”
Vishnevsky told to his colleagues journalists. “I
shall be happy if my and many other publications will
help to stop building of this skyscraper. We shall
not allow them to spoil St.Petersburg! If we hit this
goal, this would mean that all that I’ve been
doing has not passed in vain,” he said.
|
| February 15,
2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin spoke at the rally for protection of Baikal
Press Release. February 13,
2010
About 700 people participated despite
sever frosts in the rally for protection of Baikal
in Irkutsk. Members of ecological organisations, members
and supporters of YABLOKO, residents of Irkutsk and
Baikalsk and CPRF members spoke against resuming of
functioning of the Baikal Pulp Plant.
The rally organised by the ecological
organisation The Baikal Wave and the Baikal movement
was held under the slogans “To close the Baikal
Pulp Plant!”, “To provide alternative
jobs to the residents of Baikalsk!” and “Stop
budget financing of oligarch Deripaska!”
|
| February 12,
2010 |
| A
shaking hand of the United Russia party
Press Release. February 10,
2010
“When they are ousting us from
the election race this means that they are afraid
of us!” said YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
On February 9, 2010, the Sverdlovsk Region Electoral
Commission with multiple violations of the law refused
to register YABLOKO in the election race to the regional
parliament.
The working group of the Electoral
Commission gave a conclusion based on a graphologic
expertise that 56% of the signatures collected by
the party and required for registration in the race
were “void”. However, the experts conducting
the handwriting comparison gave contradictory answers
virtually on all the lists. “Thus, the experts
acknowledged 2,000 signatures void on a pretext that
they had been made by a “shaking hand”,
stressed Maxim Petlin, Chair of the Sverdlovsk regional
branch of YABLOKO.
“Refusing to register YABLOKO’s
list in the Sverdlovsk region after a refusal to register
YABLOKO in the Kaluga region the authorities once
again confirm that there is no evolution of Russia’
political system towards democratization and political
competition,” stated YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin. “We go on living under the
arbitrary rule of the bureaucrats servicing the interests
of their own party – United Russia.” |
| February 5, 2010 |
| Chair
of Sverdlovsk Electoral Commission Mostovschikov to
dismissal!
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
February 5, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses its categorical protest in connection
with the actions of the Chair of the Sverdlovsk Electoral
Commission V.D.Mostovschikov.
Mostovschikov made multiple statements
in the mass media on alleged violations of law in
proposing the list of candidates to the election,
the documents submitted to the electoral commission,
including signatures submitted for enrollment in the
race, prior to adoption of decisions by the electoral
commission. We assess the actions of the Chair of
the Sverdlovsk Electoral Commission as unlawful, biased
and virtually representing propaganda in favour of
other parties participation in the election, first
of all progovernmental United Russia. |
| February 4, 2010 |
| The
authorities chose to support of oligarchs’ interests
and reprisals against public organisations rather
than protection of the Lake Baikal
Statement of the Bureau of
the YABLOKO party, February 1, 2010
On January 28, 2010 the police of
the Irkutsk region without any rulings of the court
or public prosecutor blocked the work of the largest
public organisation engaged in protection of the Lake
Baikal – The Baikal Ecological Wave –
confiscating their computers under the pretext of
a check whether this organisation had been using licensed
software. However, the representatives of the interior
refused even to look at the certificates of the software
submitted to them. The ecologists who tried to disobey
confiscation of their computers were threatened with
legal persecution in view of “attacking the
police”.
The YABLOKO party expresses its resolute
protest in view of such actions of the interior and
considers them as a awkward attempt to shut down the
wave of public discontent in view of the adoption
by the Government of the RF of a resolution allowing
to resume functioning of the Baikal Cellulose Paper
Plant that have been polluting Baikal with its waste,
as well as stored, buried and burnt hazardous waste
on the banks of the lake. Such governmental decision
was adopted in satisfaction of short-term interests
of the owner of the plant – a definite tycoon,
and contradicts Russia’s interests.
|
| Memorial’s
lectures in YABLOKO. The History of the Soviet Terror
Annoucement, February 4, 2010
We are proud to announce that we are
launching lectures of Memorial heads and experts within
the programme of our Evening University.
Please find below the schedule of the first lectures...
Please also note that you can see
Memorial’s exhibition A History of an Execution
at YABLOKO’s office... |
| February 3, 2010 |
| European
liberals welcome Russia to the European Union
Press Release. February 3,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
called to the activisation of efforts in the introduction
of a visa-free regime between Russia and the European
Union at the meeting of the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe (ALDE) taking place in Brussels
today. ALDE is the third largest faction in the European
Parliament holding the balance between the right and
the left.
Sergei Mitrokhin told in his speech
that “the European Union should work out a strategy
for interaction with Russia based on integration rather
than confrontation”. “The European Union
should initiate the projects that would involve and
initiate the Russian society and elite into the European
values and approaches,” he said. According to
Mitrokhin, such a strategy can ensure Russia’s
movement along the European way of development...
According to Mitrokhin, the idea of
abolishing visas between Russia and the EU was proposed
as early as in 1995 by the YABLOKO faction in the
Russian parliament. “We specially invited then
Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov
and persuaded him that this initiative was not a fantasy,”
Mitrokhin said. He also noted that in 2003 Ivanov
shared these ideas with his Italian counterpart.
A number of MPs of the European Parliament
supported the idea of development of a new European
strategy in relations with Russia and agreed with
Mitrokhin that the European Union had not developed
such a strategy yet. Some MPs also supported the proposals
on the earliest introduction of a visa-free regime
and also stated that they would welcome Russia’s
perspective joining the European Union...
|
| Governor
Gromov motions a libel suit against Sergei Mitrokhin
Press Release, February 1,
2010
Governor of the Moscow Region Boris
Gromov motioned a libel suit against YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin who had laid blame for a physical
attack on Editor-in-Chief of Khimskinskaya Pravda
oppositional paper Mikhail Beketov. The official claims
compensation of RUR 500,000 (about USD 16,600) for
the moral damage.
Sergei Mitrokhin stated that the party
had grounds to think that “Administration of
the Khimki city district and personally Head of Administration
Strelchenko supported by Governor Gromov are behind
this crime” during an action held on November
16, 2009 one year after the attack. A
video record of Sergei Mitrokhin’s speech published
at YABLOKO’s web-site was used by the Governor
as an evidence of libel.
On November 13, 2008, Editor-in-Chief
of Khimskinskaya Pravda oppositional paper Mikhail
Beketov who had been opposing the construction of
a paid highway Moscow – St.Petersburg, was found
unconscious in the yard of his house. Doctors stated
a severe head injury, multiple factions and injuries.
Despite treatment Beketov remains a handicapped –
he can not take care of himself and his speech functions
have not restored. The action in support of Beketov
was held under the slogans “Attack on Beketov
Is an Attack on the Freedom of Speech” and “Attack
on Beketov Is Political Terror”.
|
| February 2, 2010 |
Social
orphanage Zhizn (Life) in St.Petersburg needs your
support!
February 2, 2010
Social orphanage Zhizn (Life) gives
shelter and normal living conditions to orphans and
social orphans. The orphanage was founded over 15
years ago and helped to about 600 children. The orphanage
does not get any state aid and has been financed by
private donations only.
At present the orphanage has to move
to a new place and its expenditures have abruptly
grown. Zhizn would be grateful for any aid, as it
is moving to empty flats. For bank transfers pls use
the following banking
details (it is important to indicate that it is
charity).
Even if you do not have a possibility
to help us financially, you can help to the orphanage
by spreading information about it.
See also:
Youth
YABLOKO organisation of St.Petersburg for the protection
of an orphanage. Press Release. September 8, 2009
|
| Assessment
of Russia’s Present Political System and the
Principles of Its Development. Brief note for
the State Council meeting (January 22, 2010) by Dr.Grigory
Yavlinsky, member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee.
January 22,
2010
...In the absence of serious attention
to the raise of political culture and freedom of speech,
elections in our country will become a fest of demagogues
and populists killing the system.
The main problems and goals of the
society and the state in the field of creation of
modern political system and political reform do not
represent a mere correction, they mean bringing of
life and sense into Russian politics.
Only in this case it will be of interest
for the people and will be worthy of their attention.
To achieve this we should first of all raise the level
of public consciousness and open opportunities for
public participation in the power and politics.
We think that to prevent dissolution
of the Russian political system in 2010 – 2012
we need to undertake the following gradual but nonetheless
decisive steps...
|
| February 1, 2010 |
| On
elimination of visa regime between Russia and the
EU
Statement by the Party Chairman.
February 1, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO considers abolishing of the visa barrier separating
the European Union and Russia be the most important
and a very necessary step towards RF-EU integration.
The advantages that both the sides will get in solving
this problem considerably overweight the bureaucratic
problems that may seem insurmountable today.
We are certain that the issue of elimination
the visa barrier between Russia and Europe should
be examined and solved by politicians rather than
bureaucrats. A political will towards strategic decision-making
will enable us to find constructive ways out in such
issues as, for example, the readmission problem.
We would like to specially stress
that freedom of movement within Great Europe is not
reduced for the Russian citizens to facilitation of
their business, study or tourist trips (albeit this
is also very important). This means their normal life
within a single European civilization on the basis
of shared principles. And this issue has become especially
acute when a visa barrier separated us from our closest
Eastern European neighbours as close interaction with
them has always been and continue to be very important
when we speak about European trends in Russia. |
| January 29, 2010 |
| Picketing
in favour of Rechnik took place by the building of
the Russian Government
Press Release, January 29,
2010
Today on January 29, 2010, the residents
of the bulldozed Rechnik village together with YABLOKO
activists organised a mobile picket in the form of
automobile race. Since 2-30 p.m. picketing took place
by the RF Government’s building. YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitorkhin took place in the action.The participants
of the picket hold a placard running “Yes to the amnesty
of dachas!” and picturing President Medvedev and Prime
Minister Putin.
“We consider all the developments
in Rechnik complete lawlessness, as not only a law
on the “amnesty” of dachas but also a number of other
laws make bureaucrats to file property title on land
and houses in such cooperatives as Rechnik,” Mitrokhin
told to journalists. “We think that this lawlessness
is performed in the interests of bureaucracy and large
business which would like to use this territory. The
state demonstrates its cynical attitude to the people
who with their own labour made money for construction
of their private houses on legally purchased plots
of land,” he added.
more
See also:
'Selective
justice' in Moscow as houses razed overnight. Reuters.
Jan.28, 2010 |
| Brief
Outline of Sergei Mitrokhin’s Report at the
State Council meeting
January 22, 2010
The key problem of Russia’s
political system is monopolism which manifests itself
in three major ways:
1) bodies of power and parliaments
of all levels demonstrate monopoly of one party representing
the interests of bureaucracy and large-scale business
merged with it;
2) complete dominance of the executive over the judicial
authority;
3) dictate of one social class – the bureaucracy
– over all other social groups.
Thus, the present political system generally reproduces
the Soviet system, with its key flaw – the monopoly
of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on power.
Such monopoly led to the insensibility of the political
system of the USSR to the challenges of the time.
Attempts to reform the system were considerably belated
and that, consequently, led to a collapse of the USSR. |
| January 28, 2010 |
| The
staff of the Government of the Moscow Region interferes
with YABLOKO’s picketing
Press Release, January 28,
2010
The staff of the Government of the
Moscow Region interfered with YABLOKO’s one-man
picketing in front of their building. YABLOKO protests
against virtual introduction of a ban on one-man pickets
which has been initiated by the Moscow Region Duma.
The parliament of the Moscow Region
submitted to the State Duma a draft law stipulating
that one-man pickets (in addition to demonstrations,
rallies and group pickets) should be not only coordinated
with the authorities but organisers of such pickets
should also submit the plan and schedule of such picketing.
Activists of the Moscow Region branch of YABLOKO call
one-man picketing the only form of street protest
which has been available, as normally the authorities
ban rallies and pickets with a large number of participants
under faked pretexts.
|
| Ekaterinburg’s
Mayor suits the leader of the regional YABLOKO branch
Press Release, January 27,
2010
Ekaterinburg’s Mayor Arkady Chernetsky
set in motion a lawsuit against deputy of the city
Duma and leader of the regional YABLOKO branch Maxim
Petlin.
The Mayor began a defamation case
stating that Maxim Petlin had libeled against him
at TV programme Vesti. The Mayor assessed his moral
damage at RUR 600,000 (approximately USD 20,000) which
makes 30 per cent of his official annual income amounting
to RUR 1,700,000.
“Once Chernetsky sold out half of
all the kindergartens buildings in Ekaterinburg,”
Petlin said at the Vesti programme. The Mayor considered
this statement be a libel.
However, explaining this situation
Chernetsky told to the anchor of the Studio 41 TV
programme that he had sold “only three kindergartens”.
Other had been transferred to different companies
and entities “free of charge”. |
| January 27, 2010 |
| The
Moscow City Court to examine YABLOKO’s cassation
appeals concerning annulment of the results of the
voting at four electoral districts
Press Release, January 27,
2010
Tomorrow on January 28, the Moscow
City Court will examine YABLOKO’s cassation
appeals on the decisions of district courts rejecting
YABLOKO’s claims of recounting votes at four
electoral districts where the United Russia party
was added over 1,500 votes by sheer fraud during election
to the Moscow parliament.
A cassation appeal on the decision
of the Perovo District Court will be examined in room
225 at 10-30 a.m. In late December the court declined
YABLOKO’s suit on annulment of the results of
the voting at electoral districts No 887 and 888.
According the official data, the United Russia party
obtained there 1,002 votes more than was indicated
in the signed copies of the protocols handed to the
observers. |
| The
Charter Court of St.Petersburg refused to examine
the Okhta-Centre case
Press Release, January 27,
2010
Yesterday the Charter Court of St.Petersburg
refused to examine the complaint of Maxim Reznik,
the leader of St.Petersburg YABLOKO branch. Reznik
claimed the resolution of the St.Petersburg’s
government on construction of 403 meter high Okhta-Centre
and a number of legislative acts should be cancelled.
The Charter Court as well as Public Prosecutor preferred
not to interfere into the scandal around Gazprom’s
skyscraper Okhta-Centre and wait until “a general
jurisdiction court makes its judgment”.
Reznik applied to the St.Petersburg’s
Charter Court claiming that the resolution of the
city government headed by Governor Valentina Matviyenko
was unlawful as allowed Gazprom to construct at 403
meter high skyscraper prohibited in the historical
part of the city. Also Reznik asked to cancel several
normative acts (on regulation of city construction
and public hearings) that served as a basis for the
scandalous resolution.
|
| January 26, 2010 |
| Mitrokhin:
“It is barbarity to evict people in such frosts”
Press Release, January 26,
2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
called Vladimir Resin, head of the Moscow Construction
Complex, to apply to the Bailiffs Service with a demand
to suspend housebreaking in the Rechnik settlement
at least by the end of frosts. Such
a proposal was made by Sergei Mitorkhin during yesterday’s
meeting with Vladimir Resin devoted to the problems
Moscow’s construction complex.
“Whatever ideas of the Moscow
authorities could be here, but housebreaking and evicting
people to the street in such frosts is barbarity.
I proposed to Vladimir Resin to conduct conciliatory
procedures with the residents of Rechnik, however,
I did not get any support here,” Mitrokhin said.
Nevertheless YABLOKO’s
leader has been insisting on his proposals.
“I also expect some reaction
to these developments from President Medvedev and
Prime Minister Putin whom I reported about this situation
at the State Council meeting,” Mitorkhin said. |
| Young
people from the Northern Caucasus stand for peaceful
relations among republics
Press Release, January 26,
2010
After Taimuraz Mamsurov, head of the
North Ossetia, and Yunus-bek-Yevkurov, head of Ingushetia,
signed a programme for broadening of cooperation among
republics, activists of youth movements also held
their actions targeted at prevention of conflicts.
Youth public and human rights organisations
from Chechnya, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and
Ingushetia met at the forum Youth for Peace at the
Caucasus. YABLOKO activists from the North Ossetian
branch of the party also took part in the forum. |
| January 25, 2010 |
| Apple
tree garden in Biryulyovo, Moscow, will be preserved
Press Release, January 25,
2010
“Apple tree garden in Biryulyovo,
Moscow, will not be cut”, Vladimir Resin, head
of the Moscow Construction Complex told to YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin during their meeting today.
Moreover, the plot of land with the apple tree garden
will be included into the natural reserve Biryulyovo
Dendrary Park...
It is already the second apple tree
garden saved by YABLOKO. In 2006 the party managed
to stop cutting of the trees in Davydkovo district.
|
| January 21, 2010 |
| YABLOKO’s
leader blocked by police in the Rechnik cottage village,
Moscow
Press Release, January 21,
2010
This morning YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin arrived at the site of the Rechnik
village where bulldozers began pulling down the houses
early in the morning.
Mitrokhin noted that YABLOKO had been
deterring pulling down of the village for two years.
According to Mitrokhin, the Court Bailiffs Service,
the police and the local authorities resumed their
efforts as soon as the term of YABLOKO’s deputies
in the Moscow City Duma expired and YABLOKO was not
able to get the mandates after fraudulent elections
of October 11.
On arriving at the site Mitorkhin
called Ferdauis Yusupov, head of the Moscow Court
Bailiffs Service. Yusupov asked Mitrokhin to find
out whether there were any court decisions or documents
for pulling down the houses. However, when Mitrokhin
tried to find out the legal basis for demolishing
of the village he was quickly blocked by police. Policemen
made a cordon around him and did not let him freely
move in the territory of the village. |
| January 20, 2010 |
| Activists
and leaders of the YABLOKO party participate in the
action in memory of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya
Baburova in Moscow
Press Release, January 20,
2010
Activists and leaders of the YABLOKO
party participated in the action in memory of Stanislav
Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova murdered a year ago.
Party leader Sergei Mitrokhin and
member of the Political Committee Sergei Kovalyov
participated in the march along Petrovsky Boulevard.
Grigory Yavlinsky laid flowers to the place where
Markelov and Baburova were killed and came to the
picket by the Griboyedov monument where the march
ended.
YABLOKO’s activists noted that
they managed to escape mass-scale police reprisals
only due to interference of Russia’s Ombudsman
Vladimir Lukin who came to Petrovsky Boulevard.
At present YABLOKO’s activists
are trying to prevent the second wave of arrests,
provoked by the police who tore the megaphone from
the speakers at the picket. |
| Picket
against scanty pensions accrued to the military pensioners
held by the Ministry of Defence
Press Service, January 20,
2010
Picket against scanty pensions accrued
by the state to the military pensioners was held by
the Ministry of Defence today. The activists of the
YABLOKO party and the Elder Generation movement (the
former Pensioners’ Party) protested against the present
system of calculation of pensions basing on the fixed
wage only and neglecting all the wage increments and
bonuses the military normally get. This system leaves
military pensioners with tiny pensions despite their
real aggregate earnings during their service.
The activists of the Youth YABLOKO
held a banner “Military Pensions Are a Shame on the
State!”
|
| January 19, 2010 |
YABLOKO
and the Elder Generation movement to conduct picketing
protesting against discrimination of pensioners
Press Service, January 19,
2010
Tomorrow on January 20, the YABLOKO
party jointly with the Elder Generation movement (the
former Pensioners’ Party) will conduct picketing
by the Ministry of Defence building protesting against
discrimination of pensioners.
Military pensioners protest against
the present system of calculation of pensions basing
on the fixed wage only and neglecting all the wage
increments and bonuses the military normally get.
This system leaves military pensioners with tiny pensions
despite their aggregate earnings during their service.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin,
General Major in reserve and leader of the Moscow
Region YABLOKO branch Anton Gorodetsky and head of
the Elder Generation movement Alexei Borschenko will
participate in the action.
The picket will begin at 12:00.
Address: Gogolevsky Boulevard (by
the Gogol monument). |
| YABLOKO
demands dismissal of a top official
Press Release, January 15,
2010
Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the YABLOKO
party, applied to the Ministry of Economic Development,
the State Register and Public Prosecutor General demanding
dismissal of O.Chapkovskaya, head of the Tikhoretsky
Department of the Federal Registering Agency in the
Krasnodar area. The said official completely blocked
registration of citizens’ joint shared ownership
to agricultural lands.
The official had been violating constitutional
rights of the citizens for two years, and the latter
had to seek justice in court. The court examined 107
complaints on unlawful actions of an official, making
judgments on each of the cases recognizing the actions
of the state registrator Chapkovskaya unlawful. |
| Attitude
to human rights activists as a criterion of a law
governed state
Statement of the YABLOKO party,
January 19, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO states that the work of human rights activists
and independent journalists in Russia have not become
less dangerous for the year since the murder of Stanislav
Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova.
It’s not only because the past
year saw new attacks against human rights.
Nothing changed in the policies of
the authorities and the situation with resentment
of dissenting opinions promoted by the state mass
media. State officials have been treating human rights
activists as the enemies of the state, and their opinion
coincides here with that of nationalists and fascists.
Such an attitude of the state to human
rights activists demonstrates that at present Russia
is not a law-governed state and, moreover, it does
not try to become such. |
| January 14, 2010 |
| Activists
of the Youth YABLOKO summed up the results of the
Year of the Youth
Press Release, January 14,
2010
“In December 2009 activists
of St.Petersburg youth YABLOKO organisation summed
up the results of the Year of the Youth.
The authorities reported on “great
achievements” in the field of youth policy in 2009
and young YABLOKO activists decided to demonstrate
these “achievements”, such as extremely low stipends
(that were not raised in 2009), high unemployment
among young people (young people under 25 constitute
30% of all the unemployed in the country), considerable
reduction of municipal budget expenditures on the
youth policy, long queues for enrollment of children
to kindergartens, scandalous appointments of universities
rectors, etc. |
| The
residents of the city of Klin and YABLOKO picket by
the office of the Public prosecutor of the Moscow
Region
Press Release, January 14,
2010
“Klin Should Get an Honest Public
Prosecutor,” – such is the slogan of pickets
conducted by the residents of the Klin district, Moscow
Region, and YABLOKO by the office of the Public prosecutor
of the Moscow Region.
Oleg Stalnov, Public Prosecutor of
Klin, was dismissed from his post and downgraded to
the post of deputy Public Prosecutor of the city of
Domodedovo. It has been unclear who may take the post
in Klin.The residents of the
city and representatives of public organisations conducted
several actions and rallies demanding to dismiss Oleg
Stalnov due to the growth of corruption and general
negligence of his office. Thus in September 2009,
YABLOKO initiated a rally of about 500 people demanding
to dismiss Stalnov.
After his dismissal YABLOKO, the Society
for Preservation of Nature of the Moscow Region and
the Farmers’ Front sent a letter to the Public
Prosecutor General demanding to “control the
appointment of a new Public Prosecutor for Klin and
ensure that Klin would get an honest Public Prosecutor”. |
| January 13, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
collected 7,600 signatures in support of YABLOKO’s
list for election campaign in Ryazan
Press Release, January 13,
2010
YABLOKO collected 7,600 signatures
in support of YABLOKO’s list required for registration
in the election campaign to the regional Duma in the
Ryazan region during the holiday period.
The list of candidates is topped by
Chair of the regional party branch journalist Konstantin
Smirnov, honoured teacher of the Russian Federation
and deputy of the regional Duma of the second convocation
Sergei Tabolin, deputy head of the party branch lawyer
Dmitry Shatilov and teacher in the arts school for
children Galina Vorotzova...
Campaigning among workers of the social
sphere demonstrated considerable difficulties. “Despite
the fact that there are many party advocates of YABLOKO
among this social layer, many of them fear to sign
for YABLOKO noting, for example, that the director
of their school made them join the progovernmental
United Russia party,” said Konstantin Smitnov, Chair
of the Ryazan branch of YABLOKO. “This is not surprising,
considering how toughly the regional authorities pressed
the budget sphere workers at the recent elections,”
he added. |
| January 11, 2010 |
| YABLOKO
competes for the top position
Press release, January 11,
2010
A new team striving for the top position
emerged at the Zheleznogorsk football championship.
Yabloko won tree games out of four and is competing
for the first place in its group with the last year
champion of the city the Yenisei team.
“We decided to create such a
team after discussing the problems of development
of football in the region at one of popular web-forums
in Krasnoyarsk. Also the fact that we have been in
the topic of Zheleznogorsk football for a long time
and have been closely cooperating with many coachers,
helping them where we can,” say party activists. |
| YABLOKO
initiated discussion of amendments to the Charter
of Kazan at public hearings
Press release, January 9,
2010
The YABLOKO party in the Republic
of Tatarstan jointly with the movement Against Crime
and Lawlessness conducted alternative public hearings
on introduction of amendments to the Charter of Kazan
connected with elections of the city Mayor. About
40 people – former deputies, well-known public
figures, ecologists and representatives of the Guild
of Small and Medium Businesses – participated
in the discussion held on January 9.
Elections of the Mayor of Kazan and
deputies of the regional parliament will take place
in October 2010. The President and the present Mayor
have already voiced their opinions that the Mayor
should be elected by the deputies, however, the regional
branch of YABLOKO disagree with this due to the following
reasons... |
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