| It is already a week since the activists of YABLOKO and
the Environmental Watch on Northern Caucasus Eugene Vitishko,
Suren Gazaryan, Dmitry Shevchenko detained by the country
cottage (which in their view was unlawfully constructed on
public lands of Russia’s forestry fund) of the Governor of
the Krasnodar Area Alexander Tkachyov on February 27 have
been under administrative arrest in the Tuapse prison.
YABLOKO’s activists beaten during their detention (policemen
broke nose to Suren Gazaryan), were sentenced to imprisonment
from 5 to 10 days for alleged "disobeying the orders
of the police."
Zufar Achilov, activist of the Environmental Watch on Northern
Caucasus who was detained together with them was released
on March 4 (as his 5-day imprisonment term expired), he told
about unbearable conditions in which detainees are contained.
According Achilov, virtually all the prisoners rights were
violated in this prison: right to a walk, right to have bedclothes,
to use toilet, to receive parcels from families and so on.
The night of their arrest they were not even allowed to have
water and call a doctor. The cells, according to Achilov,
"remind of Inquisition dungeons”, they are dark, without
artificial or natural light, the prisoners are not allowed
to use toilet even in the morning, food is disgusting (despite
statements made [by the authorities] that RUR 400 [USD 13]
are allotted for maintenance of each prisoner per day). Now,
according to Achilov, Dmitry Shevchenko is running high temperature
(38 degrees), he is coughing typically of pneumonia, and Gazaryan
has approximately the same high temperature too. Protesting
against such conditions of detention and unjust verdict of
imprisonment Gazaryan, Shevchenko and Vitishko went on a hunger
strike; whereas there is no doctor in this jail.
Joint actions by YABLOKO’s activists and environmentalists
protesting against the arrest of YABLOKO’s activists have
been held in Krasnodar, Tuapse, Moscow and St. Petersburg
all these days. The World Wildlife Fund appealed to the Minister
of Interior Rashid Nurgaliyev demanding an official investigation
of the actions of police officers involved in the attack against
the environmentalists stating "it is striking that the
authorities chose a violent unlawful way of resolution of
the problems accumulated in the region" ...
When Boris Nemtsov, Ilya Yashin and Konstantine Kosyakin
were detained at Triumphalnaya square in Moscow on New Year's
Eve, and court sentenced them to an unlawful arrest from 5
to 15 days, a huge number of people spoke in their defence,
whereas YABLOKO’s leaders were among the first to protest
against this arrest.
Nemtsov, Yashin and Kosyakin (as well as Eduard Limonov detained
by his house) were regarded as "prisoners of conscience",
the media were continuously writing and speaking about them,
they had incessant visitors and they were brought parcels,
huge attention was attracted to their arrest.
However, the conditions in which my friends and colleagues
from YABLOKO held in the Tuapse jail are many times worse
and more humiliating than those the aforementioned "Moscow
prisoners" were in. But no one hurries to recognise Gazaryan,
or Shevchenko, or Vitishko a "prisoner of conscience."
No prominent public or political figures speak in their defence.
Their arrest does not outrage U.S. senators and European parliamentarians.
Finally, we do not hear anything about public speeches by
Nemtsov or Yashin on this topic. Maybe I have missed something.
Or maybe they are silent because its will be improper after
this to habitually claim that YABLOKO in contrast to them
is “not an opposition”?
However, for everyone who wants to stand up for my friends,
there is still time: Suren Gazaryan and Dmitry Shevchenko
should be released on March 6, and Eugeny Vitishko on March
9.
See also:
Human
Rights
Protection
of Environment
YABLOKO’s
activists get imprisonment verdicts, Press Release, February
28, 2011
WWF
demands from the Interior Minister to investigate the circumstances
of the arrest of ecologists by Governor’s dacha. Press Release,
March 4, 2011.
Young
YABLOKO activists hang a banner “Freedom to Political
Prisoners!” opposite of the Kremlin.
Press Release, March 3, 2011.
Friendly
Oligarch Buys 'Putin' Palace . The Moscow Times, March 4,
2011.
YABLOKO
- Aktivisten inhaftiert. Liberales Forum. Redaktion,
28.02.2011
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