Press Release, 11.04.2019

Photo: the rally in Arkhangelsk

Trials over participants and organisers of the rally against the plans of the authorities to create landfills in the Arkhangelsk region for the storage of Moscow garbage go on for the second day.

Yuri Chesnokov, one of the organisers of the anti-garbage rally in Arkhangelsk, was assigned 90 hours of compulsory work. The Oktyabrsky District Court of Arkhangelsk found him guilty of violation of Article 20.2 Part 3 of the Administrative Code (“Actions of the organiser of the rally that caused interference with the functioning of vital infrastructure, transport or social infrastructure”)

The court also fined Yuri Chesnokov 16,000 for violation of Part 1 of the same article (“Violation by the organiser of the established order of the organisation of a public event”).

Photo: Yuri Chesnokov

It should be noted that the previous administrative arrest of Yuri Chesnokov, member of the Arkhangelsk Yabloko Regional Council, ended only on 8 April. The reason then was an unpaid fine of 800 roubles for violation of traffic rules. On the evening of 20 April, Chesnokov was again detained and spent the night at the police station.

In addition, on 11 April, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Arkhangelsk fined Alexei Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the regional branch of the Yabloko party, for 15,000 roubles. The activist was found guilty of violating Article 20.2 Part 5 of the Administrative Code (“Violation of the established procedure by a participant in a public event”).

Alexei Kuznetsov intends to appeal the court decision to a higher authority. After the court session was over, the politician returned to Lenin Square so that to picket the office of the administration of the Arkhangelsk region.

Photo: Alexei Kuznetsov

A day earlier, on April 10, Alexei Kuznetsov, who participated in the anti-garbage rally and rally in the regional capital on April 7, had already received a fine of 16 thousand rubles. The court found him guilty of violating Part 6.1 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code (“Participation in an unauthorized meeting that hindered the movement of vehicles and pedestrians”).

On 7 April, a rally was held in Arkhangelsk against the construction of a landfill near the station Shies. Despite the fact that the regional authorities refused to give their permission to the protest action, about 3,000 people came into the streets. Residents of the region came to the regional administration building on Lenin Square and declared a protest for an unlimited period of time. However, soon the protesters who tried to remain in the square were dispersed by the police.

On 10 April, detentions of activists participating in the rally began. Most of them were fined 15,000 – 200,000 roubles.

The Arkhangelsk branch of Yabloko has been fighting against the plans of officials to create a landfill in Shies, where the garbage from Moscow will be stored. Alexei Kuznetsov is the coordinator of the  protest action that is intended for unlimited period of time.  From November 2018, residents of the region go on one-person pickets (that do not require a permission from the authorities) to the regional government office demanding to ban the importation of Moscow garbage into the territory of the Arkhangelsk region.

The Yabloko party offers an alternative waste treatment programme Clean Russia. The programme will allow by 2030 to recycle up to 70 per cent of household garbage, reduce the amount of garbage being buried in landfills by 80 per cent and create more than 250,000 jobs.