Press Release, 25.06.2014

An action against amendments to Moscow laws which limit the rights of Moscow City Duma deputies was held outside Moscow City Duma on June 25. The amendments are also called “deprofessionalizing”. The amendments were introduced yesterday and considered today at a special session. The amendments were supported by 32 deputies out of 35. When the Mayor signs the bill and it is published they new law will come into effect.

Compared to the present Moscow City Duma, the next Moscow parliament may meet only once a month and deputies will work there only six days a week, their proxies will be cut (most of them will be shifted onto the Moscow Government) which raises doubts of efficiency of such a parliament for a city with population over 12 million. According to Sergei Mitrokhin, these amendments represent an attempt to finally eliminate the remnants of independence of the legislative authority in Moscow.

YABLOKO candidate for Moscow City Duma deputy Grigory Semyonov

The amendments also envisage that only the Chair of the Moscow Duma and his deputies will work on a permanent (paid) basis in the new convocation. Heads of commissions and factions will be able to get pay for their work only provided the authorities pass a special decision on them.

The powers of the City Ministers will be also cut: the decisions will be taken not only at the Moscow Government Sessions but by the newly developed Presidium of the Government. According to YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin, the adoption of such amendments was an attempt to destroy the last remains of an independent governmental agency.

YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin

The secession was announced to take place at 13.30. YABLOKO’s activists and YABLOKO’s candidates to Moscow City Duma started picketing Moscow City Duma at noon. They held placards which said “The amendments by Deputy Krutov is a shame on Mayor Sobyanin!”.

About 50 people including YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin, YABLOKO candidates to Moscow City Duma and activists, three deputies of the Moscow City Duma from the Communist Party[there are only three deputies from the Communist party in the current Moscow parliament, the rest 32 mandates belong to the ruling United Russia party], the State Duma deputies and journalists gathered by the Moscow City Duma building by 13.00. The police didn’t stand in the way of the protesters.

The activists chanted “Shame” using a loud-speaker.

Sergei Mitrokhin noted that someone had mentioned that Putin once said “we will rub them out in an outhouse” which became a famous phrase. YABLOKO leader said that head of the Moscow City Duma Platoniv had turned the building of Moscow parliament into a big outhouse a long time ago. And today’s amendments proved they treated the whole Moscow like an outhouse.

According to Mitrokhin, the aim of the amendments was to “taint the deputies and make them feed out of the Mayor’s trough”. Another result of the amendments will be entering of Moscow parliament by representatives of big and even criminal business as well.

The citizens who came to support the action claimed the Duma had little independence
at the moment and the adoption of the amendment would bring that independence to nought at all.

YABLOKO activist Igor Bakirov

YABLOKO candidate for Moscow City Duma deputy Mikhail Menshikov

YABLOKO candidate for Moscow City Duma deputy Alexandr Popov

YABLOKO candidate for Moscow City Duma deputy Maxim Kruglov

YABLOKO candidate for Moscow City Duma deputy Olga Radayeva