In Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Omsk

Press Release, 22.06.2018

The authorities turned down Yabloko’s applications for rallies against raising the retirement age in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Omsk and proposed the party to hold rallies on the outskirts of the cities.

The Yabloko party planned to hold a rally in Moscow on 3 July in the city centre. However, the Moscow government refused to give such a permission referring to the decree of the Russian President which prohibits holding mass actions during the World Cup. Yabloko considers this decree to be unconstitutional. The Moscow branch of Yabloko holds pickets against raising the retirement age. Chair of the Moscow Yabloko Sergei Mitrokhin was detained at the last action.

The Sverdlovsk Region branch of Yabloko (in the Urals) was going to organise a rally together with the party PARNAS in the centre of Yekaterinburg on 1 July. But the Ministry of Public Security proposed to hold the action not in the center of the city, but in the park  in the outskirts with poor transport access and virtually no infrastructure for holding a mass public event. In the coming days the Sverdlovsk branch of Yabloko will make a decision whether to agree to this proposal or not.

Tatyana Nagibina, Chair of the Omsk branch of Yabloko, after filing the application for the rally on 1 July, first received an affirmative oral response on the conduct the action in the centre of Omsk. But on 20 June, the organizational committee was told verbally that the authorities recommended to move the rally from the city center. A written notice runs that urban improvement works will be held in the square in the city centre mentioned in Yabloko’s application on 1 July.

“We filed a notice to the city administration on our disagreement with these recommendations, as well as appealed to the regional and city public prosecutors, as we consider the recommendations of the city authorities to change the venue of the rally unreasonable and illegal,” Tatiana Nagibina said.

The Bureau of the Yabloko party believes that President Putin is responsible for the consequences of the pension reform envisaging raising of the retirement age. As an alternative, Yabloko proposes to implement the proposals set forth in the presidential programme of Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky.