Yesterday the Moscow Mayor's Office refused the request
of leaders of the YABLOKO party to allow them to organize a demonstration
and a rally on May 1. The demonstration was to take place under the slogan:
"Civil society against a police state".
The city authorities said the party's application was drawn up erroneously
- it didn't state how long the demonstration and the rally would last.
YABLOKO's representatives called this explanation absurd and said the
City Hall sought to destroy 'civil society'.
YABLOKO's deputy chief Sergey
Mitrokhin told Russkiy Kurier that as many as 5,000 people had planned
to take part in the demonstration. He said the party would rewrite the
application and resubmit it.
"Let us see what else they come up with to ban our demonstration,"
the politician stated.
See also:
Freedom
of Assembly
|