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Publications 2013
May 15, 2013

Bulgarian election 'a dark day for democracy' - European Liberal President

Press Release, the ALDE party, May 13, 2013

Reacting to the results of the snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria held on Sunday 12 May, ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson MEP today said: “with the lowest turnout in the history of parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, yesterday was a dark day for democracy and a repudiation of the EPP-aligned government led by Boyko Borisov. The conduct of the election also gives cause for concern.”

“It is worrying that the election was marred by several reports of irregularities, vote-buying and controlled voting. The discovery by police of 350,000 ballot papers printed by a company belonging to a GERB councillor raises important questions. The next government must undertake serious efforts to defeat fraud and regain the voters’ trust in democracy.”

“European Liberal Democrats congratulate ALDE member party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) on their performance in the election and their efforts during the campaign. Negotiations for a government coalition must take their result into account.”

May 13, 2013

LI President Congratulates Icelandic Liberals on Formation of Government

LI News Bulletin, Issue 330, May 10, 2013

LI President, Hans van Baalen MEP, has written to leader of the Progressive Party of Iceland (LI Full Member), Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, to congratulate him on his party's success in the recent parliamentary elections. Iceland's President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, invited Mr Gunnlaugsson, who has been made Prime Minister-elect, to form a government following parliamentary elections in which the Progressive Party made the biggest gains in electoral support; more than doubling their number of seats from 9-19. The Progressive Party has experience of coalition politics and as the Prime Minister-elect, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, entered into Coalition talks, he said: “I feel good about this. There are of course many and big issues to discuss so this will take some time, but it's right to be optimistic, in the beginning at least”. The Liberal's return to government comes as the Socialist Party they replaced were unable to solve Iceland's national concerns, resulting in voters punishing the Socialists for imposing tough austerity measures and failing to tackle high levels of household debt.

MORE

LI Secretary General Moderates Europe Day Debate in Maastricht
Thailand’s Liberals Condemn Minister’s Censorship Proposal
Special FDP Congress Convenes in Nurnberg
RELIAL Calls on Venezuelan Government to Protect Human Rights
Young African Liberals Convene at South African Congress

May 8, 2013

EP report on Hungary confirms a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values

Press Release, the ALDE Group, European Parliament, May 7, 2013

The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee discussed today for the first time the report on the situation of fundamental rights: standards and practices in Hungary. The need for this report arose from a series of controversial amendments introduced by the country's ruling party to the media law, the legal order and the national Constitution which go against the values of the European Union...

May 6, 2013

Keynote speech by Grigory Yavlinsky "Russia in Ten Years"

Seminar "The Future of EU-Russian Relations – The Liberal Viewpoint". Helsinki, April 29, 2013


The Future of EU-Russia Relations - The Liberal Viewpoint

Press Release, the ALDE party, May 1, 2013

The Future of EU-Russian Relations - The Liberal Viewpoint" seminar was held in Helsinki, Finland on the 29th of April and gathered over 200 people in the audience. The hosts of the seminar were the Swedish People’s Party in Finland (SFP) and the Swedish International Liberal Center (SILC) and it was arranged in cooperation with Russian ALDE member party Yabloko and Svenska Bildningsförbundet.

The seminar was divided into three parts, starting with introductory remarks from Carl Haglund, Minister of Defence and SFP Party Chair, Martin Ängeby, Secretary General of SILC and Astrid Thors MP, ALDE Party Vice President, followed by key note addresses from Yabloko founder, Dr. Grigory Yavlinsky and MEP Kristiina Ojuland. The seminar continued with panel discussions on human rights as well as trade and economic relations in the afternoon.

Carl Haglund commenced by pointing out that a well-functioning relationship between Russia and the EU is beneficial for both parties, which was echoed in later discussions. Also the fact that the EU is Russia’s biggest and Russia EU’s third biggest trading partner was repeated during the day. Peace through trade is a fundament for the EU and something to continue working on. It took 18 years of bargaining before Russia joined the WTO in August 2012 and there still remain obstacles in the trading policy.

EU-Russia cooperation must be based on mutual respect. The importance of the EU putting pressure on Russia to respect freedom of speech and human rights was underlined during the seminar. The ”foreign agent”-law, the Sergei Magnitsky case and other anti-democratic laws are alarming. Russia is not interested in being led by the hand towards democracy – the country must do the work itself when it comes to democracy and human rights. Some of the people working for these values are in jail, but many were at the seminar – including the founder of the Yabloko party.

In his key note speech Dr. Girgory Yavlinsky stated: “The important question is not how long Putin is going to stay in power – the important question is what is going to be instead of him? All other questions are secondary. Then we will be able to speak about elections et cetera.”

MEP Kristiina Ojuland reminded that the Russian Parliamentary elections in 2011 were the real starting point of the lack of trust. They were clearly not free and fair and that has also changed the European Parliament’s view on Russia. Corruption and VISA freedom for Russian citizens were also addressed during the seminar which, thanks to simultaneous translation into Russian and English, attracted a vast number of participants. The seminar has been recorded and can be viewed on www.sfp.fi/russia.

April 27, 2013

Situation in Russia. A Country Report by YABLOKO leader Dr. Sergei Mitrokhin

Liberal International 190th Executive. Published on April 26, 2013

...But I should note that the reaction of Vladimir Putin’s regime to the mass protests was not only intensification of reprisals. Putin responded to the challenge with a specific state ideology based on aggressive clericalism and complete denial of the liberal values. This is a significant difference from the policies of ex President Medvedev who often appealed to the liberal values.
Orthodoxy has been exploited by the regime in a very specific way. The emphasis is laid on its contraposition to the Western values and way of life. This "sacred resource" provides the authorities an ideological basis for criticism of the human rights concept, as well as political systems based on respect for civil liberties...

...New evidence of the growth of aggressive clericalism has been emerging every day. The Russian parliament adopted a law envisaging five years of imprisonment for the injury of religious beliefs and feelings. However, the law protects only “traditional confessions” and Russian
Orthodoxy in the first place. It is obvious that opponents of clericalisation of the state will become the first victims of this vague norm based on subjective estimates...

April 18, 2013

190th Executive takes important political decisions

LI News Bulletin, Issue 327, April 19, 2013

At the Administrative Session of the 190th Executive Committee Meeting, delegates from accorss the words expressed concern about recent developments in Russia and Ukraine and unanimously passed two political resolutions: Condemning the burning of books at Yabloko headquarters and The importance of fighting corruption in Ukraine. The Executive Committee endorsed the cooption of high-level politicians from un-represented regions on the LI Bureau: Kasit Piromya, of the Democratic Party of Thailand (Asia); Ahmed Hariri of the Future Movement/ al-Mustaqbal, Lebanon (MENA); Edgar Hererra, Guatemala (Latin America). One endorsement to full member status and three endorsements to observer member status were also voted. The Republican Party of Georgia is set to become a full member, while four parties -- Alliance Nationale pour les Comores, Comoros; United Democrats, Cyprus; Rassemblement National des Independents, Morocco; Partido de la Libertad Individual, Spain — were validated by the Executive as LI observer members. The status of these parties will need to be verified by the next Congress meeting...

MORE

High-level Politicians Open Executive Committee
Lebanon’s President welcomes LI Bureau
Liberals Discuss the Crisis in Syria at 190th LI EC Meeting in Beirut
Panel discussion on liberalism and traditional values
Lively Fringe Events Spark Debate
Arab Alliance for Freedom and Democracy Holds General Assembly
Trudeau to lead Canada’s liberals after 81% on first ballot

Liberals concerned about rise in human trafficking

Press Release, the ALDE party, April 17, 2013

The President of the ALDE Gender Equality Network Flo Clucas and liberal European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström have expressed their profound concern and disappointment after a report revealed that human trafficking in the EU has increased in recent years and 80% of the victims are women and young girls. They also strongly criticised 21 EU member states for the delays in implementing into national law the EU directive on human trafficking, adopted in March 2011. The European Commission report presented on Monday, the first compilation of data from more than 25 European nations of its kind, showed human trafficking increased by 18% between 2008 and 2010 and that during the same time the number of convictions for the crime fell by 13%.

As EU member states identified human trafficking as one of the priority areas in the fight against organised crime, the ALDE Gender Equality Network is very disappointed and worried that, despite the alarming trends, only a few countries have implemented the anti-trafficking legislation. Flo Clucas, President of the ALDE Gender Equality Network, said: “Even though EU governments have had two years to implement tougher standardised anti-trafficking legislation, only six out of 27 states have done this. Large EU-states, such as Germany, France and Great Britain have not implemented tougher measures in their national legislatures, this is not acceptable...”

April 16, 2013

Wiretapping scandal in Bulgaria is a matter of European concern

Press Release, the ALDE Group, European Parliament, April 16, 2013

Commenting on the investigation by the Bulgarian Prosecutor General's Office into the allegations of illegal wiretapping of scores of political opposition leaders in Bulgaria, Guy Verhofstadt, President of the ALDE Group has made the following statement:

"Sanctioning of illegal wiretapping of opposition politicians in Bulgaria by state authorities undermines democracy and the fairness of the electoral process. The European Union monitoring mechanism covers adherence to the rule of law matters and therefore the ongoing scandal should be seriously analysed by the European Commission. With less than one month before elections in Bulgaria, citizens need to be reassured that their fundamental rights are protected"...

April 14, 2013

Urgency Resolution on the burning of YABLOKO's books.

LI 190th Executive Council Meeting, Beirut, Arpil 13, 2013

Book Burning

The Executive Committee of Liberal International, meeting in Beirut recalls the burning of books by Nazis in 1936, rightly condemned by the Free World, and expresses its horror and indignation at the action by ultra-Orthodox thugs who invaded the Headquarter of the Yabloko Party in Moscow on March 15 removing publications and burning them publicly in a Moscow Square.

The Executive Committee notes the failure of the Russian and Moscow Authorities to investigate, prosecute or even condemn this action with its sinister implications for basic freedoms and demands that they do so without delay, guaranteeing the right of all Russians to publish freely.

The Executive Committee calls on the Russian authorities to adhere to their commitment as a member country of the Council of Europe and investigate into the accident and punish those guilty.

The Executive Committee further urges ALDE members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to sponsor a resolution condemning this action and the failure of the Russian Authorities to take appropriate action.

April 7, 2013

LI Bureau member Robert Woodthorpe Browne was among the high level speakers on migration and assimilation at Yabloko Conference

LI Press Release, Arpil 6, 2013

LI Bureau member and Treasurer Robert Woodthorpe Browne was among the high level speakers on migration and assimilation at Yabloko (LI Full Member) Conference on 6th April in Moscow, Russia.

The event was opened by Party Leader Sergey Mitrokhin and Dr Astrid Thors, European Liberal Democrats - ALDE Party Vice President and former Migration Minister in the Finnish Government coming from the Swedish People's Party (LI Full Member). Professor Grigoriy Alekseyevich Yavlinskiy addressed the gathering on the subject issues. He was particularly concerned at the potential knock-on effect of the proposed US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. Input was provided by speakers from Swedish, Estonian, Moldovan, German and British liberals. LI Treasurer, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, described the UK situation and added an LI dimension...

March 22, 2013

ALDE welcomes Commission's new consultations on media freedom and pluralism

Press Release, the ALDE Group, European Parliament, March 22, 2013

The ALDE Group welcomes today's launch by the European Commission of two consultations on media freedom and pluralism and audiovisual media regulator independence.

The first consultation asks specifically to comment on the EU's competences to act in protection of media freedom and on the roles of national regulatory authorities, as well as if current laws need to be changed.

EP rapporteur on an "EU Charter: Standard settings for Media Freedom across the EU", Renate Weber (PNL, Romania) said: "We hope this consultation will pave the way to the establishment of a regular mechanism of monitoring and reporting over the full respect of media freedom and pluralism, as a democratic exercise that all EU Member States should do"...

Letter of Anne Breasseur, President of ALDE, CE, to Sergei Mitrokhin on the attack against YABLOKO

March 19, 2013

The ALDE Group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is deeply concerned with the news we are receiving from Russia. The attacks perpetrated against the Yabloko party in Moscow are yet another manifestation of growing intolerance in the Russian society.

The ALDE condemns the perpetrators of these attacks which are not simply an act of vandalism, but also an offence against the freedom of expression. We sincerely hope that the legal proceedings that you have launched will receive appropriate attention both from the judiciary and the political authorities of Russia. Such acts cannot be tolerated.

I would like to assure you that the Monitoring Committee will be duly informed about these deplorable developments...

March 21, 2013

Russia's Liberals Attacked by Orthodox Fascists

LI News Bulletin, Issue 324, March 21, 2013

LI full member Yabloko, became a direct victim of the rising intolerance in Russia, when its headquarters in Moscow were attacked by “Orthodox fascists”. This video demonstrates how they stole and publicly burnt books and booklets published by the party. Yabloko suspects that the reason behind this provocation is the fact that the party has rejected the movement's proposal for building new Christian Orthodox temples on sites where city gardens and children's playgrounds are situated. Sergei Mitrokhin, Yabloko's leader, was outraged, saying: 'We are expecting a reaction from Vladimir Putin, the People's Front and the Russian Orthodox Church to the provocations of the thugs acting on their behalf. In the absence of any response we will consider this attack as the beginning of “Maoist-style terror” against the political opposition and we will build our party strategy in line with these new realities.” ALDE-PACE President Anne Brasseur condemned the attack and expressed “sincere hopes that the legal proceedings that Yabloko has launched will receive appropriate attention both from the judiciary and the political authorities of Russia.”

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LI President joins Cambodia’s opposition leader at Brussels protest
South Africa’s parliament adopts Guinea motion by VP Harris
Guatemalan Liberal government makes history
ALDE in Libya: Wider Mediterranean FTA to stimulate growth
DPP Attends Rally in Support of Tibetan Independence

March 7, 2013

Violence against women is a persistent stain on our society

Press Release, the ALDE Group, European Parliament, March 7, 2013

Ahead of International Women's Day, Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament (ALDE) call for united international action to combat violence against women. In Europe, 45 % of women will experience some type of violence at least once in her lifetime. Every day one in five women in Europe is a victim of violence. Antonyia Parvanova (NMSP, Bulgaria), ALDE spokesperson on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, participated in the UN summit meeting on 'The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women', being held from 4 to 15 March in New York. The Bulgarian liberal presented the activities of the European Parliament to eridicate violence against women while highlighting the challenges faced in the EU.

Mrs Parvanova commented "We have to continue to take concrete steps to defend women's and girls' fundamental right to live free from violence. But we won't achieve concrete results if acting alone . The EU has an excellent opportunity to deliver on its commitments by pressing for coordinated international action at the UN Conference"...

February 28, 2013

"Smart borders package": A better management of EU external borders

Press Release, the ALDE Group, European Parliament, February 28, 2013

Today the Commission presented its "Smart borders" package. ALDE welcomes this legislative initiative as it will simplify the life of "bona fide" foreigners frequently travelling to the EU, whose number is expected to increase in the future.

ALDE spokesperson of the dossier Nils Torvalds (Swedish Peoples Party, Finland): "It is in the interest of the EU to make it as easy as possible for tourists, business travellers and students to come to Europe. At the same time an easier access to the EU should go hand in hand with preventing irregular migration. The "smart borders" initiative should also help Member states better control their external borders, an important issue for some of them which have to manage a very long portion of the EU external borders"...

February 21, 2013

U.S. Is Russia's Best Friend. By Grigory Yavlinsky.

The Moscow Times, February 19, 2013. Vedomosti, January 28, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama took his second oath of office on Jan. 20. The following Sunday, also in Washington, Metropolitan Tikhon was enthroned as the primate of the Orthodox Church in America.
A second major phenomenon largely overlooked by the media is that 1 million Orthodox Americans affirm the importance of upholding their faith in that multicultural "melting pot" — even though most speak English and were not raised according to traditional Russian customs. Although many American Orthodox believers are not Russians or Europeans, and some are not even direct descendents of Russian and European immigrants, they often had an even stronger personal connection to the Russian emigres and anti-Bolsheviks of the 18th and 19th centuries and responded more passionately when the Russian Orthodox Church was driven partly underground...

February 20, 2013

European Liberal Democrats welcome Borissov resignation

Press Release, the ALDE party, February 20, 2013

Reacting to the resignation this morning of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his government, ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson said: “European Liberal Democrats welcome today’s announcement. We have become increasingly concerned about freedom and the rule of law under Prime Minister Boyko Borissov since he took office in 2009.”

“Together with the likes of Berlusconi and Basescu – Europe’s B team – Borissov has played fast and loose with the rule of law. I hope this B team will not be revived in elections this year”...

2014 European Parliament seat distribution

Press Release, ALDE, February 19, 2012

The vote of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament supported efforts by ALDE MEPs aimed at correcting the worst anomaly in the original proposal of the two rapporteurs (Trzaskowski-Gualtieri) on the apportionment of seats at the next elections in 2014. The Liberals and Democrats argued that to have a two seat gap between Hungary and Sweden on the basis of a difference of population of 475,000 was unjust.
Andrew Duff's proposal that at the next constitutional Convention, likely in 2015, the EU should agree on a fair, durable and transparent arithmetical formula for the distribution of seats was also accepted...

February 14, 2013

Alexei Melnikov: Jingle Bells of the Death Penalty

Alexei Melnikov’s blog in the Live Journal, February 11, 2013

Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has said today that he supports the death penalty for people who have committed serious crimes, "I fear to bring down the anger of the opponents of the death penalty on myself, but speaking as an ordinary citizen, rather than a minister, I would see nothing wrong [in the death penalty] for such kind of criminals".

It is no good when the high post prevents the expression of civic feelings. After such a statement by Mr. Kolokoltsev, he should have been immediately dismissed. Let him speak out as a citizen not burdened with the weight of public duties. In any case, the dismissal of Mr. Kolokoltsev would have been an adequate measure for the authorities who believe that the purpose of the government is installing of humanity.

Our ruling system suffers from a serious hereditary contempt for human life. Here the concept of a "violent crime", and any crime in general, is like rubber. And just like civil activities in case of a police state are easily transferred into crimes, this notion [of a violent crime] can be transferred into a grave offense. For example, "foreign agents" [which all the NGOs were pushed to turn into according the new Russian law] may be considered traitors and liberal views equated with an ideology targeted at destruction of the state. And the punishment here will be execution...

Liberals upset with renewed Human Rights set-back in Azerbaijan

Press Release, the ALDE party, February 11, 2013

European Liberals strongly condemn the recent clampdown on liberal activists in Azerbaijan. Among others Tofig Yagublu, deputy chairman of ALDE member party Musavat was arrested and charged with “violation of public order”.

Liberals welcome the statement by European top officials and encourage the European Commission to strongly defend fundamental human rights in their bilateral discussions with the Azeri authorities...

February 13, 2013

German Liberal MP is the new president of GLOBE Europe

Press Release, the ALDE party, February 8, 2013

Michael Kauch, an FDP MP, is the new president of GLOBE Europe, the European Chapter of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment. He was elected at the recent General Assembly to succeed the Danish Green Steen Gade, who didn't run for another term. Vice Presidents are Petra BAYER (Austria), Linas BALSYS (Lithuania), Barry GARDINER (UK), Jens HOLM (Sweden) and Arnaud LEROY (France).

GLOBE is a cross-party and trans-national network of MPs, who are committed to the environment and to sustainability. At present, MPs from 88 countries around the world represent their countries in the network. Major activities are global parliamentary dialogues on climate policy, forest protection and sustainable development...

February 11, 2013

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: A Celebration of Human Body and Spirit or Complicity in Crimes?

North Caucasus Environmental Watch. Open Letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), February 11, 2013

...A unique environment is being damaged irreparably over a large area. According to our information, functionality of approximately 2000 hectares of the Greater Sochi had been radically changed; radical land expropriation, destruction of natural landscapes and appearance of anthropogenic landscapes have taken place. First of all, this concerns the Mzimta river valley (deforestation) in the area of construction of a combined railroad and highway Adler – Alpinka Service and Imeretinskaya valley, where substantial agricultural lands and wetlands were replaced by compensation housing construction and by transportation infrastructure and storage facilities. Some of the territories of the Western Caucasus (UNESCO World Heritage site) were removed from World Heritage protection, natural heritage sites are being destroyed, and crushed-stone quarries are mined in the reserve areas of the national park. That is, diverse ecosystems were damaged practically irreparably. New threats of landslides, erosion, avalanches, and mudslide have appeared on the slopes of mountain ridge Aibga as a result of continuing deforestation and construction of ski trails, chair lifts and other objects. Disappearance of specific natural habitats, even when there are analogous remote natural habitats, of numerous plant and animal species in Sochi is reaching critical levels and is leading to local extinction of the species, which, in its turn, is leading to impoverishment of biodiversity. This is a consequence of the inability of the affected species to migrate across regions unfit for their survival...

February 6, 2013

New wave of reprisals against Yabloko activists

Press Release, the ALDE party, February 6, 2013

ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson MEP has expressed the collective concern of European Liberal Democrats to news of a fresh wave of reprisals against members of the Russian United Democratic party (Yabloko).

Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of ALDE member party Yabloko, has condemned the Federal Security Bureau in the Sverdlovsk region which has interpreted a recent Russian law ‘on the counteraction to the extremist activity’ to obtain a court order permitting Maxim Petlin, Chair of Yabloko’s Sverdlovsk Region branch to be placed under surveillance and for all his all telephone conversations to be monitored. A complaint filed to the Supreme Court was also dismissed.

ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson MEP said: “European Liberal Democrats are increasingly concerned at the instances of persecution facing members of open and fully legal political parties. During its years of existence the Yabloko party has not provided an occasion for it to be equated to extremist organisations. It seems the government regards the words ‘opposition’ and ‘extremism’ as synonyms.”

“European Liberal Democrats and Yabloko call on the European Union to put pressure on Russia and for the Russian government to immediately stop such reprisals and to bring those responsible to justice”...

January 31, 2013

Russian Gay Propaganda Bill another discriminatory legistation

LI News Bulletin, Issue 317, January 31, 2013

Reacting to the first reading of an LGBT Rights discrimination bill at the Russian Parliament, the leader of Yabloko (LI full member), Sergei Mitrokhin, expressed a concern that the bill in its present version allows for the authorities to limit the civil rights of the LGBT community. The law prohibits gay propaganda among children and it has already been adopted by eight regional parliaments. 'Legislators proceed from an allegation that propaganda can change a person's sexual orientation. However, its adoption will inevitably lead to the deepening of the split in the society and a growing risk of violent collisions between different groups. The application of the law has already demonstrated that there has been a rise of open clashes between the LGBT and the Orthodox activists' said Mitrokhin. Liberal International hosted a public dialogue with Sergei Mitrokhin back in November where he revealed the undemocratic realities of yet another discriminatory legislation in Russia...

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LI president backs Chilean and Latin American liberals VP Harris meets Partido Patriota in Guatemala
Wynne to become first woman Premier of Ontario
Egyptian liberals warn of possible political chaos
ANC government uses "identity" in desperation
VVD 65 years: Learning lessons for a bright liberal future
Main opposition boycotts Jordanian legislative elections

January 23, 2013

Attempted assassination of Bulgarian liberal leader Ahmed Dogan

Press Release, the ALDE party, January 19, 2013

Sir Graham Watson MEP, President of the ALDE Party expressed the shock of all European Liberals on Saturday at the attempted shooting of Bulgarian liberal leader Ahmed Dogan at the MRF Party Congress in Sofia which Sir Graham was attending. He expressed his relief that the pistol had not gone off as intended.

"Liberals have become increasingly concerned about freedom and the rule of law under Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The European Union may need to mobilise to put the country back on track."

"I hope the government will move quickly to establish the forces behind this attempted murder and to bring them to justice." Sir Graham Watson said...

January 18, 2013

Alexey Melnikov: The destiny of a little man

Alexei Melnikov's blog, January 18, 2013.

Tragic news has come from the Netherlands – Alexander Dolmatov who fled from Russia to this country fearing political reprisals committed a suicide. I express my condolences to Alexander’s family and express them support in their grief .

Those of us who have lost their loved ones, know how hurtful it is, as how the world seems to be alien and how one’s life begins to change as one realizes that nothing will be as it once was.

Who is to blame? The Netherland authorities that refused to grant Alexander a political asylum? Those from whom he escaped in Russia, those who have now unleashed reprisals in Russia? Or headless leaders of the protest? If a person is killed in such circumstances, then, in all fairness, no one can shun the responsibility.

A little man wanted to change his country. He was forced to flee. The little man was seeking asylum in another country. But that country calmly turned its back on him. Anger was breathing behind his back, and cold breathed into his face. The little man could not resist. He has gone. But he has remained a Man.

We will remember him.

Yabloko marches against "orphans" Anti-Magnitsky Law

LI News Bulletin, Issue 315, January 17, 2013

In Moscow the leaders of Yabloko (LI Full Member), Grigori Yavlinski and Sergei Mitrokhin, led a march against the Anti-Magnitsky law. The Anti-Magnitsky law prohibits American citizens from adopting Russian orphans and is widely considered to be a response to US reprisals against those responsible for the killing of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian human rights lawyer. During the march the crowd held banners and yelled that ‘MPs should fight against corruption, not against children'. At the rally Sergei Mitrokhin stated: “Our government has demonstrated that its main goal is to protect the murderers involved in the Sergei Magnitsky case. The authorities have put a human shield of orphans around this scum.” Mitrkohin continued: “But we will again and again resist this political regime, and again we will go to the streets and use any other peaceful, constitutional means so that to remove the regime from power.' Earlier Yabloko wrote a letter to the now Russian actor Gérard Depardieu, to raise attention of the law and the case of Sergei Magnitsky.

MORE

DP Minoves meets Premier Helen Zille
VP Harris welcomes French support to Mali
LI VP Löning welcomes political prisoners' release in Georgia
“We need to fight for women’s empowerment” says LI VP Al-Sahlani MP
Macedonian liberals continue street protests
Sam: “Illegitimate Elections lead to an Illegitimate Government”
Egyptian liberals on joint opposition lists at next elections

January 15, 2013

Liberal Democrats delivering in government: 95% of Coalition Agreement on course

Press Release, the ALDE party, January 15, 2013

On 12 May 2010, the leader of the Liberal Democrats (UK) Nick Clegg stood together with the leader of the Conservative party David Cameron in the Rose Garden of 10 Downing Street and outlined the joint programme for coalition, the first full coalition government in the United Kingdom since 1945. Two and a half years later and the coalition have this week published a Mid Term Review with Liberal Democrat party analysis showing that “about 95%” of objectives and policies outlined in the Coalition Agreement are on course...

...Amongst the Top 10 achievements of the Liberal Democrats in government include: reducing the national deficit by 25%, the scrapping of ID cards, the creation of 1 million jobs and 1 million apprenticeships, the delivery of a £600 tax cut for 24 million working people by raising the income tax threshold to £9,440, the cutting of crime by 10% and the creation of a Green Investment Bank to unlock billions of pounds of private investment in renewable energy and create thousands more green jobs...

January 10, 2013

Yabloko writes public letter to Depardieu

LI News Bulletin, Issue 314, January 10, 2013

After having been granted a Russian passport by President Vladimir Putin, French actor Gerard Depardieu last week visited the Russian federal Republic of Mordovia. Vladimir Gridin, the Chairman of the Mordovia branch of Yabloko (LI Full Member) has written a public letter to Depardieu, in which he points the attention of the actor to stringent issues in Russia today. Amongst the issues mentioned by Gridin are electoral fraud and the illegal expropriation of houses without compensation in the Russian republic. Gridin also states Depardieu is used to divert public attention away from the Anti-Magnitsky law, which prohibits Americans from adopting Russian orphans in response to reprisals by the United States against those responsible for the murder of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. In the World Today Resolution, adopted at the 58th Congress in Abidjan, Liberal International 'expressed its extreme concern with the strengthening of Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime', and called on the Council of Europe 'to respond adequately to Russia's breach of its obligations as member of the Council'.

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MRF firmly against populist and nationalistic rhetoric
South African troops in CAR unconstitutional, says LI VP Harris
CALD Opens 2013 with Thai Shadow Deputy Prime Minister
IFLRY VP Fakhreddine: "Young liberals undermine Muslim brotherhood"
Moroccan liberal parliamentarians welcome delegations
"Africa needs proper crowd control techniques" says Konate
Latin American Liberals publish annual report

January 8, 2013

Open letter to actor Gerard Depardieu from Vladimir Gridin, leader of the Mordovia branch of YABLOKO

January 8, 2013

Dear Mr. Depardieu,

In connection with your plans to settle in Mordovia, let me ask you a few questions as so to say your new compatriot.

1. A few days ago you visited Mordovia and, as you put it, you were stunned by the hospitality shown to you there. Vladimir Volkov, President of the Republic of Mordovia, offered you in a handsome gesture an apartment or a plot of land under a house. The generosity of the head of the region struck many people in the republic, especially the residents of Tambovskaya street in Saransk...

Project Director: Vyacheslav Erohin e-mail: admin@yabloko.ru Director: Olga Radayeva, e-mail: english@yabloko.ru

Administrator: Vlad Smirnov, e-mail: vladislav.smirnov@yabloko.ru