Press release, 10.07.2017

The Krasnoyarsk city administration puts pressure on Yabloko’s activists who organise pickets as part of the Time to Return Home campaign for Russia’s withdrawal from the war in Syria.

All the places where Yabloko’s activists install their campaigning stands to collect signatures were authorised by the city administration. However, Yabloko’s campaigners faced “the administrative resource”.

“On Friday and Sunday the head of the citizens and public sector relations department of the Leninsky district administration Svetlana Silayeva categorically demanded that the organisers of the picket must remove Yabloko’s logo and the posters with Grigory Yavlinsky. If they refuse to do so, the action must be stopped,” Alexander Kolotov, deputy Chair of the Krasnoyarsk branch of Yabloko, said. To justify her demand the official stated that picketing was part of Yabloko’s political campaigning and no one authorised it for the party.

According to Yabloko’s activists, such demands are contrary to the law and cannot be explained by the simple ignorance of law.

Svetlana Silayeva is also a member of the territorial electoral commission in the Leninsky administrative district. She was appointed to the post by the United Russia party. Thus, the ruling party representative prevented Yabloko from exercising its constitutional right.

The Kransoyarsk branch of Yabloko forwarded an application on the incident to the city administration. Despite the pressure Yabloko’s anti-war campaign continues.

On 6 July, the government of the cities of Saratov and Tambov prohibited Yabloko’s anti-war pickets. The grounds for the prohibitions seem absurd from the legal point of view. The Tambov City Hall prohibited to carry out Grigory Yavlinsky’s anti-war campaign during “the election period” since holding such events “violates the equality of candidates”. First the Saratov City Hall authorised the picket but then forced the activists to stop it using the police force. The stated reason was that Saratov’s bombers stroke Syria. Yabloko will appeal the prohibition to carry out the campaign in court.

The Time to Return Home campaign is targeted at making the state abolish the military campaign in Syria in favour of engaging in the development of Russia’s economy and social sphere. Party activists collect signatures in support of the campaign over 50 cities in 38 Russian regions. All who sign under Yabloko’s initiative receive a leaflet showing where the money spent on the military operation in Syria could go: how many hospitals, kindergartens, schools, bridges could be built, what an increase in the salary could be received by state employees, etc.

The main thesis of the campaign Time to Return Home became one of the key issues in the presidential election campaign by Grigory Yavlinsky, head of the Federal Political Committee of the party.