Activists of the Youth YABLOKO protesting this morning
by the Federation Council against the so-called Dima Yakovlev
law (“the orphans law”) are facing administrative fines amounting
to RUR 30,000 (approximately USD 1,000) and compulsory community
service works. Cases of administrative violations are filed
against four activists.
"Children freeze in the cold war”
A series of pickets against the approval by the Federation
Council of the law prohibiting American families to adopt
children from Russia started an hour before the plenary session
of the Federation Council. In order not to violate the law,
as only one-person pickets can be conducted without getting
a prior permission from the authorities, the protesters planned
to picket in turn changing each other every ten minutes and
passing the banners "Senators, fight against corruption,
not orphans" and "Children freeze in the cold war”
from hand to hand.
However, each of the picketers managed to stand with a banner
for a few minutes only. Policemen without any explanation
detained the protesters and dragged them to the police bus.
Thus, Youth YABLOKO activists Kirill Goncharov, Yuri Turin
and Ludmila Milovidova found themselves in the police bus.
Another party member Yaroslav Kolobkov was arrested for reciting
by the Federation Council news reports on brutal killings
of Russian children by their own parents. In addition, the
police detained three civil society activists.
At present all the activists are in the Meschansky police
department. Cases of violations in accordance with Article
20.2 of the Administrative Code "Violation of the rules
of organization, or <...> conducting of picketing” are
filed against them. The new version of this article envisages
a fine from RUR 20,000 to RUR 30,000 or up to 50 hours of
compulsory communal work.
Zaza Abshilava, organizer of the action and leader of the
Youth YABLOKO, told the reporters that he had worked as a
volunteer at orphanages for children with cerebral paralysis
and autism. According to Abshilava, Russian families virtually
do not adopt children with such diseases, and according to
statistics, Americans prevail in the families adopting such
children. "In the U.S. they can get treatment, and here
they are is doomed to a slow death," said Abshilava.
The YABLOKO party has condemned the draft law which became
a “response” of the Russian authorities to the U.S. Magnitsky
Act. YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin noted in his statement,
“Following the example of the Bolsheviks the Russian government
takes a "revenge" on the enemy by making maximum
possible damage to its own citizens, in this case to the desolate
and helpless children, whom they regard as their ownership,
as serfs.”
See also:
Human
Rights
Boris
Vishnevsky: Have you voted for "anyone" but the
ruling party? Now get the consequences.Boris
Vishnevsky's blog at the Ekho Moskvi web-site, December 22,
2012.
Alexander
Shishlov: The ban on adoption of Russian children by US citizens
is immoral. RIA Novosti, December 24, 2012.
Sanctions
against Russian orphans. Grigory Yavlinsky's
Live Journal, December 19, 2012.
State
Duma’s revenge on the US affects only Russian orphans.
Statement by YABLOKO Chairman, December 18,
2012.
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