Press Release, 4.09.2019

Nikolai Rybakov, head of the Yabloko election headquarters, forwarded appeals to Oleg Baranov, head of the Moscow Interior, and Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Electoral Commission, demanding that they take under personal control the checks on Yabloko’s complaints about unprecedented violations during the Moscow City Duma’s election in electoral district No. 6 of Moscow (Khovrino, Golovinsky, Levoberezhniy and Western Degunino).

Earlier, Yabloko had appealed to law enforcement agencies of the Northern Administrative District of Moscow with a request to check the facts of violations committed against Yevgeny Bunimovich, Yabloko’s candidate and Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Moscow, and staff of his headquarters. However, there was no reaction to any of the complaints, Rybakov noted.

The appeal cites a number of facts indicating obvious violations of the law and mud-slinging campaigns against the candidate of the Yabloko party.
In particular, thousands of copies of leaflets assaulting reputation of Bunimovich have been distributed in the constituency for several weeks. The corresponding booklets and leaflets contain clearly fake publisher’s imprint.

Rybakov also points to the massive seizure of Bunimovich’s campaign leaflets from the mailboxes and damage to the posters placed on stands and trucks.

The list of the prime violations also includes the facts of planned provocations at the meetings of the candidate with the residents of the district and an attack and beating of one of the campaigners, “The attacker was detained and taken to the Golovinsky district police department, a protocol was drawn up; however, the detainee was subsequently released,” other intruders had been also brought to the police, but they had been also released without any checks, Rybakov noted.
“The city’s video surveillance system allows to quickly reveal offenses, however, there is an impression that law enforcement agencies use it exclusively so that to hold representatives of the opposition accountable in connection with protests in Moscow,” ran the statement.