Albert Khusainov’s blog post, 13.12.2021

Photo: Albert Khusainov / Photo by the Press Service of the Bashkirian branch of Yabloko

The Bashkirian branch of the Yabloko party held a meeting of party members and non-partisan civil activists in connection with the anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December, 1948, and the subsequent declaration of 10 December as International Human Rights Day.

One hour before the meeting, single pickets were held in the central street of Ufa with the slogans: “I and the Yabloko Party: Freedom for Political Prisoners!” and “For clean air in Sibai, Ufa, Neftekamsk, Bashkiria”.

The environmentalists and human rights activists who took the floor cited facts of violation of the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the authorities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Bashkortostan. Human rights to a decent economic life, a healthy and safe natural environment, favourable housing, equality of political and national rights and freedoms, freedom of speech and holding of rallies are violated, human rights are violated during elections to government bodies. Corruption of power and dependence of courts have become a shameful norm. Citizens are persecuted, up to imprisonment and the use of torture, in the country and the Republic, for their political views, personal thoughts and statements. Dozens of citizens became political prisoners.

Specific examples of human rights violations in the cities of Ufa, Neftekamsk, Sibay, and Sterlitamak, in Baymaksky, Ishimbaevsky, Karmaskalinsky and other regions of Bashkiria were named. The Yabloko party and non-partisan civil activists demanded in a unanimously adopted resolution of the meeting that the necessary measures be taken to protect human rights and health in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

A demand for freedom for political prisoners was expressed and a proposal was made to specifically reconsider towards mitigation, the politically motivated guilty verdicts to the citizens of the Republic of Bashkortostan: A.A. Dilmukhametov amd R.R. Saitova. Stop the persecution of L.A. Chanysheva (declared a member of an extremist organisation), O. Komleva, other civil activists and participants in environmental actions on the Shikhan Kushtau, and independent journalists. The need to respect the rights of representatives of the LGBT community and other discriminated groups of the population was declared.

A desire was expressed not to use the coronavirus epidemic to infringe on political, economic and civil human rights. In connection with the pandemic, it was proposed to establish social benefits for sellers in the shops.

In the final part of the resolution, there was expressed hope for joint action by all human rights defenders, while recognising political competition and respectful competition of views on the basis of democratic, legal and human values.

The texts of the resolution of the meeting will be sent to the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the President of the Russian Federation.