Press Release, 01.07.2014

YABLOKO activists conducted picketing against repressive and absurd laws outside the State Duma today.

Deputy Chair of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, municipal deputy Grigory Semyonov,YABLOKO’s municipal deputy Mikhail Menshikov and Vladimir Dorokhov participated in the protest action. All of them are candidates to the Moscow City Duma deputies.

Today the State Duma should consider two absurd bills at the same time.

The second reading of the bill which suggests criminal responsibility for repeated breaking of the legislation on public actions will be held.

What is more, the first reading of the bill suggesting fines for using foreign words which have analogs in the Russian language proposed by LDPR will take place.

The activists held placards which said “Enough of repressive laws”, “Enough of idiotic laws”.

Grigory Semyonov reminded of Lao Tzu’s statement “The more laws, the more thieves. This means that the more idiotic laws, the more people will wish to break then, the more the officials will use the prohibitions for their own benefit.”

“Who got the idea to protect the Russian language? One cannot offend, destroy or protect the language. The Russian language is the language of millions of people and has always been changing. When Rus adopted Christianity a flow of Greek words rushed to our country. If such a law excited at that time all Russian Christians would have been arrested”, commented Grigory Semyonov.

He also added that compliance with such a law cannot be controlled which means it will be used selectively.

Oleg Menshikov said that one of the most important achievements of the past 20 years was publicity but the tendency for its cutting was taking pace at the moment.

“Twenty years ago it was an euphoria when people got the opportunity to discuss laws and participate in rallies openly. Now the right for freedom of speech is being cut. As a result we will find ourselves in a closed state where the people won’t be able to participate in economic, political and social life of the country. This happens in parallel with the changes in local self-government system and the Moscow City Duma which will become a body with deputies on voluntary basis”, he concluded.