YABLOKO’s activists arrested
by the Russian parliament for picketing against the FSB law finally
released
Press Release
June 11, 2010
All the four activists detained today for picketing against
the law “on preventing of extremism” by the Russian parliament
building are finally released from the local police department.
However, they are accused of administrative violation and
conducting of an unsanctioned picket and are facing a trial
as criminals. (However, the Russian law does not require any
permissions or coordination with the authorities in case of
one-person picket).
One of the detained activists, member of the Moscow YABLOKO
Regional Council Artur Grokhovsky told that a representative
from the police internal security service came to the police
department where YABLOKO’s activists were held. He took written
statements from the activists of Major Brezhnev’s actions
(who lead the riot police that arrested YABLOKO’s activists).
Major Brezhnev personally participated in detaining Grokhovsky:
first he dragged Artur to the police car and then hit him
in the belly. Now Anton is heading to the hospital to certify
the bruises.
Grokhovsky also told that in February he had been already
arrested by the same policeman for one-person picketing. Due
to the video recording made by YABLOKO Grokhovsky was acquitted
by the court then. Grokhovsky hopes that the court will acquit
the activists this time too, as the action was also recorded.
