| May 31, 2010 |
| The
eldest blogger of the Runet turns 85
Press Release. May 30, 2010
Engelina Borisovna Tareyeva, member
of the Moscow YABLOKO Regional Council and the eldest
blogger of the Russian segment of the Internet (Runet)
turns 85 today, on May 30. Her Live Journal has over
4.500 readers.
Engelina Tareyeva writes about the
events that took place 50, 60 and even 70 years ago
very brightly, interesting and wisely. She writes
about these developments as if they happened yesterday... |
| In
support of Mezhduryechinsk miners
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
May 29, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO once again conveys its condolences to the
relatives and next-of-kin of the miners killed during
the accident at the Raspadskaya mine. Regardless of
the specific reasons leading to the accident at the
mine, it is obvious that the problem is system-driven.
This is confirmed by another accident at the Alexeyevskaya
mine which followed the accident at Raspadskaya.
The owners of the mines set such rules
and regulations which make the miners to neglect the
safety requirement and risk their lives so that to
get more or less adequate wages. A civilised dialogue
with the employer turns out to be impossible: the
owners of the mines being aware that the miners will
not be able to find another job talk with them from
a position of force. The possibilities of a labour
dispute or a strike are restricted by law... |
| An
unlearned lesson of totalitarian past
Press Release. May 28, 2010
Another lecture in the series of the
Evening Party University lectures took place on May
26 in YABLOKO’s office, Moscow. The lecture
“An unlearned lesson of the totalitarian past”
was delivered by Galina Mikhalyova, Executive Secretary
of YABLOKO’s Political Committee and head of
the Evening Party University.
Mikhalyova presented the decision
by YABLOKO’s Political Committee on overcoming
Bolsheviks’ and Stalin’s legacy as a condition
for Russia’s modernization in the 21st century.
She also presented a second edition of the book Overcoming
Stalin’s Legacy which runs that Russia’s
development is impossible without state assessment
of totalitarian past.
Mikhlyova also noted that the crimes
of the Soviet period affected virtually every family:
“Stalin’s methods of governing led to
deaths of millions of Soviet citizens, and dozens
of millions people were affected by political reprisals
and deportations”... |
| Public
Prosecutor to check the lawfulness of pulling down
of historical buildings in Kadashi, Moscow
Press Release. May 27, 2010
On May 27, Chair of the YABLOKO party
Sergei Mitrokhin forwarded a letter to V.Shevshuk,
Public Prosecutor of Moscow, and A.Kibovsky, head
of the Rosokhrankultura (Agency for preservation of
historic and cultural heritage) with a request to
stop unlawful pulling down of buildings in the territory
of the Resurrection Temple in Kadashi, Moscow.
The buildings that had to be pulled
down on May 24 in Kadashi are situated within the
boundaries of a historical and cultural heritage zone,
and any works except for preservation and regeneration
are prohibited there. Mitrokhin also expressed his
doubts in the lawfulness of the permit issued by Moskomnasleydiye
(the Moscow Heritage Committee) to pull down buildings
there... |
| May 28, 2010 |
|
President of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is reminded
of the murder of Larissa Yudina
Press Release, May 26, 2010
Activists from the Youth YABLOKO were
waiting for President of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
be the entrance to the office of the Echo Moskvi radio
station so that to remind him of the murder of Larissa
Yudina, a journalist and leader of the Kalmykia branch
of YABLOKO, killed 12 years ago... Larissa Yudina,
the leader of Kalmyk YABLOKO and Editor-in-Chief of
oppositional Sovietskaya Kalmykia Segodnya paper,
was murdered 12 years ago on June 7, 1998. The official
investigation does not name the person who ordered
this crime, however, they obviously know this person.
The question about Ilyumzhinov’s personal involvement
in the crime is still open, as the organiser of the
murder S.Vaskin (a person with repeated convictions)
was Ilyumzhinov’s Legal Advisor...
“The person who ordered the murder
of Larissa Yudina and all the people involved in this
crime should not avoid punishment. The goal of objective
investigation should be suspend the proxy of Ilyumzhinov
as President of Kalmykia,” runs the statement by YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
|
| The
General Plan of Moscow Development signed by the city
authorities to be disputed in court
Press Release. May 28, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
will dispute in court the General Plan of Moscow.
“Procedural violations in development and adoption
of the Plan were considerable. We shall apply to court
as soon as the General Plan is published,” Mitrokhin
said...
Mitrokhin also offered to the Moscow
residents whose interests will be affected by the
Plan to apply to YABLOKO for help... |
|
Liberals
leading in Dutch election campaign
LI News Issue 185, May 28,
2010
In the final phase of the Dutch general
election campaign, Mark Rutte, leader of LI-Full Member
VVD, managed to win the first two televised election
debates with the leaders of the other parties. Both
Rutte and D66 leader Alexander Pechtold put down a
solid performance in the second debate on Wednesday,
highlighting their liberal views on such topics as
economic reform, taxes and the labour market. Dutch
polls have shown the rise of the VVD to the top of
the ranks, with Rutte's party now leading every significant
poll in the country. The latest poll put the VVD on
36 seats (currently 21), well ahead of the trailing
socialist PvdA with 29 seats. D66 meanwhile is looking
forward to a tripling of their current 3 parliamentary
seats, securing 9 seats in the polls. Looking ahead
to a possible VVD victory, Rutte said to be ready
to lead the country as the first liberal Prime Minister
of The Netherlands in almost a century: “I am
ready to be Prime Minister in the difficult years
that are ahead of us”.
More
news
Liberal
delegation visits Turkey
Liberals leading in Dutch election campaign
DA condemns discriminatory Malawi ruling
Tsai wins DPP leadership contest
European governments should stand firm regarding their
Common Position on Cuba
Honduras to get liberal advice on professionalising
its police force
Anwar Ibrahim faces another stumbling block in his
trial |
| May 27, 2010 |
| Visa-free
Schengen travel for Bosnians and Albanians is great
news
ALDE Group, Press Release,
May 27, 2010
Sarah Ludford (UK, Liberal Democrats)
ALDE spokeswoman on Bosnia & Herzegovina, has
strongly welcomed the European Commission's approval
today for visa-free travel for Bosnians and Albanians
to the EU Schengen zone. The proposal will now go
to the Council of Ministers for its support.
She said:
“It is fantastic that the people
of Bosnia and Albania are set within a few months
to regain the freedom to travel without red tape in
Europe that they had two decades ago in the former
Yugoslavia. This will help to integrate Bosnia into
Europe and boost its journey towards EU membership.
It is also a step forward for Albania - a country
that suffered so long behind such rigid frontiers.
“But this concession is not
a free lunch. In return for visa waiver, BiH and Albania
have made big efforts to increase document and border
security and increase police competence to tackle
criminals. It is a win-win situation where the authorities
of the EU and Bosnia and Albania cooperate more closely
in law enforcement but real security is also boosted
by Bosnians and Albanians raising their horizons and
seeing how a diversity of people get along together
in the rest of Europe.”
* Sarah Ludford was the European Parliament
rapporteur on the Visa Information System. |
| May 26, 2010 |
| Small
Business Goes into Politics
Press Release. May 26, 2010
“The present political regime representing
oligarchs and monopolies does not need small businesses
in general. Representatives of the small business
demolished as a class should resist this,” Sergei
Mitrokhin, YABLOKO’s leader, said at a rally...
The rally adopted a resolution calling
the authorities to stop demolishing the small businesses
and also unanimously supported the proposal to call
all the entrepreneurs to join around YABLOKO “which
is the only party protecting small business”. |
| The
United Kingdom Elections 2010
By Robert Woodthorpe Browne.
Special for YABLOKO's web-site. May 26, 2010
...Now the UK has a coalition Government,
in which Nick Clegg is Deputy Prime Minister, with
5 LibDems in the Cabinet and a further 15 as junior
ministers. The legislative programme, read out by
Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, contains very many policies
from the LibDem manifesto, and the two parties are
committed to a 5 year government to enable them to
carry out their reforms and eliminate the deficit.
The real lesson to be learned from
a Russian point of view is that the UK suffered from
limited access to the media for minor parties. If
a platform is given to others – as in the prime
ministerial debates – the people are able to
make an informed choice and will be excited by a political
process that they will not think to have been “fixed”
by those already in power. |
| May 25, 2010 |
| Nation-wide
action “Small Business Goes into Politics” to Take
Place on the Entrepreneur’s Day
Press Release. May 25, 2010
On the Entrepreneur’s Day, May 26,
a nation-wide action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
will take place at Bolotnaya square, Moscow. About
300 entrepreneurs from Voronezh, Tula, St.Petersburg,
Tver, Tambov, Kursk, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and Moscow
will participate in the action in Moscow.
The organisers of the action state
that the authorities do not implement their promises
to provide support to small businesses. The participants
of the rally are going to voice their decision to
join the YABLOKO party – the only political force
which has been consistently protecting the rights
and interests of the small business... |
| Absurd
and discriminatory norms of the law “On the
Basic Guarantees of Franchise…” should
be abolished
Statement by the YABLOKO party,
May 25, 2010
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO expresses support to Andrei Malitsky in his
litigation of the norm of the Federal Law “On
the Basic Guarantees of Franchise and the Right to
Participate in a Referendum”.
According to the present norm of the
law, a citizen of the Russian Federation having residence
permits in other states is not allowed to be member
of electoral commission... |
| May 24, 2010 |
| The
Moscow branch of YABLOKO elected its leading bodies
and proposed to change the Moscow Mayor
Press Release, May 24, 2010
The conference of the Moscow YABLOKO
which took place yesterday, on May 23, confirmed its
opposition to the Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and his
government and called the country to return to the
direct election of the Moscow Mayor (the Moscow Mayor
enjoys the Governor status).
“In the federal authorities
are not ready to return to the election of all governors,
it can at least make an exception for the cities of
federal importance – Moscow and St.Petersburg
– where the city dwellers unlike residents of
other cities are deprived of the right to elect the
city heads,” runs the statement of the Moscow
YABLOKO.
Draft statement “On the political
crisis in Moscow and the ways out of it” was
submitted by YABLOKO’s leader and chair of its
Moscow branch Sergei Mitrokhin... |
| YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin reelected chair to the Moscow
branch of the party
Interfax, May 23, 2010
The leader of the Russian United Democratic
Party YABLOKO Sergei Mitrokhin was reelected chair
to the Moscow organisation of the party. On Sunday,
May 23, forty delegates of the conference of the Moscow
branch of YABLOKO elected Sergei Mitrokhin Chairman
of the Moscow Regional Branch of the YABLOKO Party
for another two-year term.
|
| The
court once again recognised the killer of the leader
of the Dagestan YABLOKO guilty or murder
Interfax, May 22, 2010
The Jury of the Supreme Court of Dagestan
return a verdict on the murder of the leader of the
Dagestan regional branch of the YABLOKO party Farid
Babayev.
According to Interfax correspondent,
one of the accused was recognised guilty, and the
second was acquitted.
The Jury ruled out the Rasil Mamedrizayev
who had been accused of the murder and keeping of
weapon was guilty of the crime...
|
| May 22, 2010 |
| On
pressure on the witnesses in the case of Farid Babayev,
the murdered leader of the Dagestan YABLOKO
Statement by the Bureau of
the YABLOKO party. May 20, 2010
The YABLOKO party has been closely
following the trial on the murder of Farid Babayev,
the leader of the Dagestan YABLOKO and a human rights
activist.
On June 4, 2009, the Penal Chamber
of the Supreme Court of Russia abrogated the previous
decision of the Jury and a sentence passed against
Rasil Mamedrizayev and Seferali Sefemerzoyev and returned
the case to another trial by a new composition of
the Jury. It is expected that a new sentence against
the culprits will be passed soon.
The YABLOKO party has several times
expressed its concern over open pressure applied by
the interested side to the witnesses and the Jury,
and consequently they either changed or refused from
their previous testimony against the culprits...
|
| May 21, 2010 |
|
Nick
Clegg ready to shake up UK democracy
LI News Issue 184, May 14,
2010
UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
(Leader of LI Full Member the Liberal Democrats) this
week pledged the “biggest shake up of [UK] democracy
in 178 years”, as he vowed to extend plans for
political reform and promised to restore the British
voter's faith in politics. He laid out his view for
a liberal Great Britain during a speech on Wednesday,
in which he also said the aim was to 'transform [UK]
politics so the state has far less control over you,
and you have far more control over the state'. This
would include significant measures and reforms aimed
at improving British citizen's right to privacy. Mr.
Clegg stated: “I'm talking about the most significant
programme of empowerment by a British government since
the great enfranchisement of the 19th Century. The
biggest shake up of our democracy since 1832, when
the Great Reform Act redrew the boundaries of British
democracy, for the first time extending the franchise
beyond the landed classes. Incremental change will
not do. It is time for a wholesale, big bang approach
to political reform.'
More
news
LI
President offers condolences after death of liberal
leader Dijkstal
European and regional liberal leaders at HSLS Conference
Nick Clegg ready to shake up UK democracy
Liberals call for release of Belarusian political
prisoners
Continuing violence in Burundi ahead of elections
SDP attended PKR’s event in Malaysia
Partido Liberal de Cuba demands freedom on 14th anniversary
Estonia on the way to join Eurozone in 2011
|
| May 20, 2010 |
| Yekaterinburg
Mayor tries to get RUR 600,000 from deputy of the
Yekaterinburg Duma Petlin as compensation for criticism
Press Release. May 19, 2010
On May 17 deputy of the Yekaterinburg
Duma Maxim Petlin received a notification from one
of the district courts of Yekaterinburg that Mayor
Chernetsky filed a protest on the court decision on
the libel case (case No 2-134). Earlier the court
had turned down the libel suit by Mayor Chernetsky
to Maxim Petlin and television channel Russia which
broadcasted Petlin’s critical statement about
the situation with kindergartens in the city. The
court also had charged the Mayor RUR 20,000 (about
USD 700) for compensation of the legal costs incurred
by Maxim Petlin... |
| May 19, 2010 |
| Belarus
must release political prisoners now
ALDE Group, Press Release,
May 19, 2010
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff MEP (FDP,
Germany) Vice President of the ALDE Group and a Member
of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee,
has called for the immediate release of opposition
activists arrested in Belarus yesterday.
Lambsdorff said: "Yesterday we
witnessed unacceptable and repressive action against
opposition parties, civil society organisations, and
the independent media. This is harsh reminder that
Belarus continues to fall far short of basic democratic
standards". "On behalf
of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe,
I call on the authorities to release any activist
still in police custody and to halt on-going judicial
proceedings against those who are doing nothing more
than exercising their fundamental human and democratic
rights."
Lambsdorff explained that if the Belarusian
authorities fail to take action, this may have serious
consequences for the countries relationship with the
European Union: "If the authorities continue
with these repressive measures, the EU must reconsider
its policy towards Belarus". "In
those circumstances, the High Representative, Baroness
Ashton, should undertake a full review of relations
between Belarus and the European Union". On
the forthcoming Belarusian presidential election -
in late 2010 or early 2011 - he added:"The
opposition must be allowed to take part in the election
without hindrance or intimidation." |
| Anti-Corruption
Commission under the Moscow Mayor dissolved after
YABLOKO’s criticism
Press Release. May 19, 2010
Yesterday First Deputy Mayor of Moscow
Vladimir Resin annulled his earlier order of May 5
on creation of an anticorruption commission in the
Moscow construction sector.
A day before this on May 17, Alexander
Gnezdilov, Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO and
the Youth Chamber under the Moscow City Duma, in his
speech in the Moscow parliament sharply criticized
the composition of the commission. He stated that
it was inadmissible when Moscow officials with criminal
cases opened against them participate in the anticorruption
commission. For example, Alexander Levchenko, head
of the Moscow roads, bridges and infrasrtucture construction
department, was included into the commission despite
of the fact that a criminal persecution due to his
abuse of authority had been launched against him... |
| Nation-wide
action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
to Take Place on the Entrepreneur’s Day
Press Release. May 19, 2010
On May 14, the YABLOKO party applied
to the Moscow authorities for a permission to conduct
an action “Small Business Goes into Politics”
on the Entrepreneur’s Day, May 26. The
action will take place by the Economic Ministry at
the Triumfalnaya square, Moscow. Entrepreneurs from
different regions of Central Russia and St.Petersburg
will participate in the action in Moscow. The
action will begin at 2 p.m. |
| May 18, 2010 |
| Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Rradio Finam,
May 12, 2010
PART 2 |
| The
first suit against the State Plan of Moscow Development
motioned
Press Release. May 18, 2010
The YABLOKO party has motioned a suit
in the first instance court demanding to oblige the
Moscow authorities to provide a state expertise the
State Plan of Moscow Development. “According
to our information, the State Plan of Moscow Development
has not received a positive conclusion from the state
expertise in spite of the fact that Mosgosekspertiza
(Moscow State Expertise Agency) under the Moscow Government
was mandated to conduct it. As far as we know, most
experts were dissatisfied with the solution of transport
problems in the new plan,” runs the statement
signed by YABLOKO’s Chair Sergei Mitrokhin... |
| May 17, 2010 |
| Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Rradio Finam,
May 12, 2010
...Yavlinsky: Well, it’s correct.
You can live like this, and live like this for a long
time. Or not so long, it depends. Approximately 25%
of the population of our country are satisfied with
the situation, and will be satisfied. The economic
system created in the country is a stable system,
a self-reproducing system with its social support,
and it should be noted, with a strong public support,
the key feature of this system which is that people
who live in this system and use it do not wish to
part with it, because this would worsen their situation
very rapidly. [Our] people are mostly well-educated,
intelligent, they understand that such a system will
not last long in a strategic sense, but to part with
it at present, today would mean worsening of their
situation today and tomorrow. Therefore, they do not
want this. The system has shown for the past ten years,
that if the situation on the world markets is more
or less favourable, than the system will be functioning
and provide good growth rates... |
| Miners’
demands should be satisfied
Statement by the YABLOKO party.
May 17, 2010
...This problem can be solved only
via a dialogue with the workers. Russian large business
treating independent trade unions like enemies will
no go for such a dialogue, therefore, creation of
conditions for such a dialogue should become a direct
responsibility of the authorities of all levels.
Miners have the right to fight for
safe working conditions and decent living. The state
must make a radical revision of the labour law and
change its attitude to the regulators that have to
control implementation of the law.
We are calling President of Russia
to create a special commission for examination of
the justified claims of the miners and development
of social support measures for their families from
the federal budget... |
| May 14, 2010 |
| Finding
a Strategy For Europe
By Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexander Shishlov
ALDE Bulletin, N°2, 2010.
PACE Session. 26-30 April 2010
It was 65 years ago that the World
War II ended. The scope of the disaster was so devastating
that the entire world learned the lesson and found
ways for reconciliation of the recent foes and creation
of international mechanisms for peaceful development
of the mankind. Responsibility and intellect of politicians,
experts and public leaders took over narrow national
and corporate interests allowing to formulate common
approaches to the construction of a new Europe and
a new world. After the war, the UN and the Council
of Europe were established and the integration of
the European democratic states leading to today’s
European Union began. The Liberal International was
created, and its Oxford Manifesto of 1947 proclaimed
liberal values to be a must for future development.
Freedom and democracy, human rights and rule of law
became key components of the new world order. In spite
of the fact that half of Europe remained under Stalin’s
totalitarian dictatorship, progress was irreversible.
This value-orientation proved to be successful as
the communist regimes collapsed in the USSR and Eastern
Europe... |
|
Liberal
Democrats take office after exciting election
LI News Issue 183, May 14,
2010
The UK sees the first involvement
of a liberal party in government since the Second
World War, after the forming of a coalition government
between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.
After an exciting campaign, the UK elections gave
LI Full Member the Liberal Democrats a never before
attained 23% of the popular vote, but nevertheless
a small loss in parliamentary seats due to the first-past-the-post
electoral system. LibDem leader Nick Clegg found himself
in the position of kingmaker after the Conservative
party failed to secure a parliamentary majority in
Westminster. Negotiations led to the formation of
a coalition with the Conservative Party, with Mr.
Clegg securing a liberal position on a range of important
coalition issues, a number of cabinet positions for
the LibDems and the position of Britain's Deputy Prime
Minister for himself. Key issues for the liberals
in government will be tackling the country's economic
difficulties and reforming the political system. Deputy
Prime Minister Nick Clegg has promised a coalition
government 'that will work' saying it will 'ensure
that everybody has the chance to live the life they
want to live', offering 'fairer taxes, better schools
[and] a fair, green economy”. LI Full Member the Alliance
Party of Northern Ireland landed a Westminster parliamentary
seat for the first time in history, unseating the
Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson in the
process....
More
news |
| Youth
YABLOKO conducted a flash mob under the slogan “We
Do not Need Such Television!”
May 12, 2010
On May 12, the Youth YABLOKO organisation
conducted a flash mob by the Ostankino TV centre under
the slogan “We Do not Need Such Television!”
Four young activists brought a TV
set to the entrance of Ostankino centre and placards
“For the Freedom of Speech!”, “For Independent Media!”.
Then young people broke the TV set shouting “Putin,
change the format!” and “We are tired of TV brainwashing!”... |
| May 12, 2010 |
| Sergei
Mitrokhin’s condolences on the tragedy at the
Raspadskaya mine
May 12, 2010
We are sharing the pain of all those
who lost their relatives and next-of-kin in the explosion
at the Raspadskaya mine. Whatever the objective and
subjective causes of the accident were, we can not
return these lives and crying only won’t help
us. We know that miners are courageous people who
can patiently and with great dignity bear such things.
I hope God gives you strength to bear this pain.
We are sharing your pain and your
grief.
On behalf of all the YABLOKO members,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party |
| YABLOKO
commemorated the victims of the Second World War
Press Release, May 9, 2010
On the 65th anniversary of the victory
in the Second World War the YABLOKO party commemorated
the victims of the war laying flowers to the Eternal
Flame over the mass grave of the largest military
burial ground in Moscow – the Preobrazhensky
Cemetery. Such memory actions have been traditionally
conducted by YABLOKO at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery
for several years already.
On behalf of the party the wreaths
were laid by YABLOKO’s leaders Sergei Mitrokhin
and Grigory Yavlinsky, Political Committee member
Sergei Ivanenko, deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO
Ivan Bolshakov and leader of the Moscow Region branch
of YABLOKO retired General Major Anton Goretsky and
his deputy Dmitry Ilyushin... |
| May 7, 2010 |
| Activists
of the YABLOKO party laid flowers to the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier
Press Release, May 7, 2010
Today activists of the YABLOKO party
lay flowers to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
the Alexandrovsky Garden by the Kremlin Wall. YABLOKO’s
leaders – its Chair Sergei Mitrokhin, members of Political
Committee Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexei Arbatov, and
Anton Goretsky, Chair of the Moscow Region YABLOKO
and General Major (retired) participated in the mourning
ceremony... |
| President
of Russia gave a state assessment of Stalin
Press Release, May 7, 2010
According to President Medvedev, Joseph
Stalin’s crimes against the nation can not be forgiven.
"And despite the fact that he worked hard, despite
the fact that under his leadership the country succeeded,
what was done to its people cannot be forgiven,"
Medvedev said in his interview to the Izvestia newspaper.
President ruled out restoration
of Stalinism in the everyday life, in particular,
emergence of Stalinist symbols and placards portraying
the tyrant. “This has no taken place and will not
take place. This is absolutely ruled out. And this
is, if you want, the present state ideology and my
assessment as President of the Russian Federation,”
he said.
Yesterday, on May 6, YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin made a statement calling President
of Russia to “give a tough official assessment of
the Stalin’s system and the attempts to associate
it with the Great Victory”... |
| An
anti-Stalinist action of the Youth YABLOKO broken
out by police in St.Petersburg
Press Release, May 7, 2010
Today the Youth organisation of YABLOKO
conducted a series of one-person pickets by the Kazan
Cathedral in the centre of St.Petersburg. YABLOKO
protests against placement of Stalin portraits in
the city. “We are outraged by emergence of portraits
of the executioner of the people on the threashold
of the Great Victory Day. It is inadmissible to place
portraits (whatever they may be) of a man who broke
millions of lives, was an absolutely talentless leader
of the army and killed the heroes who had protected
Leningrad during blockade,” stated the organisers
of the action.
Four young YABLOKO’s activists
dressed in prisoners’ clothes and bearing plates
on their chests with a list of Stalin’s crimes
were spreading leaflets. The leaflets described Stalin’s
crimes and explained why his portrait was an insult
of the memory of the war and its victims... |
| May 6, 2010 |
| President
of Russia should give his assessment of Stalinism
Statement by YABLOKO’s
Chairman, May 6, 2010
The fact that Stalin’s portraits
as a Marshall of Victory finally have not emerged
in the Moscow streets is a great achievement of our
civil society.
The YABLOKO party took an active part
in the campaign. In our first statement we said that
there is no place for Stalin’s portraits in
the V-Day decoration of Moscow streets and squares.
However, placement of the materials
of totalitarian propaganda (that have already been
printed) in the Moscow museums and public centres
makes us to return to this issue once again... |
| YABLOKO
to honour the memory of the heroes of the Second World
War
Press Release, May 6, 2010
On May 7, on the threashold of the
Victory Day, the leaders and activists of the YABLOKO
party will lay wreaths to the Eternal Flame and the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexandrovsky Garden
by the Kremlin Wall. The participants of the action
should gather by the History Museum at 4:45 p.m. (Ploschad
Revolutzii metro station).
On May 9 the Moscow YABLOKO will participate
in the mourning action at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery
where thousands of soldiers and officers who died
at the Second World War are buried... |
| City
Duma Approves Disputed Genplan
The Moscow Times, May 6, 2010
...Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the
Yabloko opposition party and a former Duma deputy,
voiced doubts that the Public Chamber had a chance
of defeating City Hall in court. “All court cases
will be lost,” Mitrokhin said, adding that the critics
faced a tough fight with “hungry investors” coming
to “snatch up the city.”
He said the opponents managed to score
a minor victory when they forced City Hall to remove
new waste-burning plants within the Moscow city lim
its from the Genplan... |
| May 4, 2010 |
| The
March of Changes took place in Moscow
Press Release, May 1, 2010
About 1,200 people participated in
the March of Changes organised by YABLOKO on May 1.
The columns of demonstrators with
YABLOKO’s flags and white balloons marched from
the Maly Theatre towards the Lubyanka square. The
leaders of the party, human rights activists and ecologists
held a slogan “For the Changes!”
“For the Changes! For Russia!
For YABLOKO! We are tired of stagnation! No to oligarchia,
yes to democracy!” chanted the demonstrators.
When the columns of demonstrators approached the Federal
Security Service building a slogan “Away with
the power of the KGB!” was heard... |
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