Sergei Mitrokhin demands from Alexander
Bastrykin, head of the Investigation Committee, to
file a criminal case on the abduction and tortures
of Leonid Razvozzhayev, Assistant of oppositional
Duma MP Ilya Ponomaryov. (Ed. Leonid Razvozhayaev
together with Sergei Udaltsov were accused of preparing
a coup d’etat in Russia with the help of Georgian
money after a notorious film The Anatomy of Protest-2
picturing all the opposition figures as criminals).
Mitrokhin insists that the criminal case should be
opened in accordance with three articles of the Criminal
Code “abduction” (Article 126), “threat
of murder or grievous bodily harm” (Article
119) and “compulsion of evidence” (Article
302).
Mitrokhin also applied to Sergei Kudneyev,
Public Prosecutor of Moscow, demanding to immediately
explain the circumstances of the detention of Leonid
Razvozzhayev and how it was announced Rozvozzhayaev
had “voluntarily admitted his guilt and surrendered”...
...Charges may be brought now against
any person or organisation whose activities seem dangerous
for the secret services. Punishment envisaged by the
draft law for links with an international non-governmental
organisation, rendering of “financial, material, technical,
consultative or other assistance” spread of information
in the Internet which can later be recognized as a
state secret by the intelligence, toughening of punishment
for violations take us back into the period of mass
reprisals and resemble Stalin's methods of dealing
with political opponents and lead to the formation
of a new "iron curtain."
Any person - an ordinary public activist
or a federal level official who may arise discontent
– may get under the sanctions of the new law. Russian
special services are interested in obtaining a legal
basis for the arrests of the dissenting...
“Who Will Be Answerable for
the Acts of Terror?” was the slogan of today’s
picket of YABLOKO’s activists.
They put three large panels with information
on the acts of terror for the past ten years (date,
place, number of victims) by the Griboyedov monument
at Chistiye Prudi.
Special information boards were devoted
to explosion in the underground crossing under the
Pushkin square in the centre of Moscow, hostages of
the Nord-Ost musical, bombings of the Interior Ministry
and the Federal Security Service buildings, bombings
of passenger trains, Beslan school, bombings in the
Moscow metro. All the boards had a symbolic memorial
plague and a question “Who is answerable?”
A special board was devoted to the
act of terror in Moscow’s Domodedovo airport...
The Russian United Democratic Party
YABLOKO demands from the Federal Security Service
(FSB) to render to the society and the parliament
a detailed report on investigation of all the large-scale
acts of terror beginning from explosions of blocks
of flats in Moscow in September 1999. Now it has become
absolutely clear that non-transparency of secret services
harms the security of Russian citizens...
We demand an answer on the question
about the reasons behind the failure of the secret
services to avert mass murders of civilians. We demand
satisfactory evidence that the organizers and those
who ordered the acts of terror will not be able to
bring us new tragedies. We demand cooperation with
the society in the development of recommendations
for improvement of the work of secret services and
the law enforcement. Only in
such a way we can really punish those who is guilty
in these deaths and, which is even more important,
to do out best so that to avert such tragedies...
Three activists of the Youth YABLOKO
were detained by police by the State Duma (the Russian
parliament) when attempting to conduct a protest action
against introduction of amendments broadening the
competence of secret services (FSB).
Today deputies of the State Duma are
to consider the draft law in the final third reading.
YABLOKO’s activists came to the State Duma disguised
as prisoners with a placard, a scaling ladder and
leaflets...
Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch
of YABLOKO Galina Mikhalyova and young YABLOKO’s
activist Igor Savyolov were found guilty of committing
a misdemeanor and fined 500 rubles each. The cases
of the other two activists - Maxim Kruglov and Arthur
Grokhovsky - were postponed until July 23 as the policemen
were late for the trial.
The decision states violation of Article 20.2 of the
Code of Administrative Offences (Violation of the
set order in organsing or conducting a gathering,
rally, demonstration, march or picketing”).
YABLOKO’s activist had to stand
before court for holding a one-person picket by the
State Duma on June 11 - when the draft law for broadening
of the proxies of the secret service (FSB) was examined
by the Duma in the first reading. Galina Mikhalyova
stood by the walls of the State Duma with a placard
while of other party activists waiting for their turn
at a distance. The police detained
all the activists of YABLOKO despite the fact that
a one-person picketing was conducted only by Galina
Mikhalyova.
"The example of this particular
case demonstrates that our courts are biased and not
impartial. The court’s decision was not guided
by fraudulent administrative violation cases provided
by police rather than by Russian laws," Mikhalyova
said...
“The President’s statement crosses
out the course towards modernisation he has proclaimed.
Amendments proposed to the law on the Federal Security
Service demonstrate that instead of building a modern
state in Russia the President has been restoring the
most archaic institutions of the totalitarian past,”
YABLOKO’s leader said.
According to Mitrokhin no one but
corrupted bureaucracy which is afraid of the people
and tries to maintain at any price its power and riches
accumulated with the help of this power needs these
amendments.
Today President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
said at a joint press-conference with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel that the draft law “has been developed
on his order”. However, the draft law was submitted
to the parliament by Chair of the Government Vladimir
Putin...
Judge Olga Borovkova sent the cases
of three activists of the Youth branch of YABLOKO
(Kirill Goncharov, Vladislav Pankov and Igor Savyelov),
who had chained themselves on July 9 with handcuffs
to the fence of the State Duma in protest against
broadening of proxies of the Russian secret service
(FSB). The judge detected numerous violations in issuing
the protocols. Motivated decisions will be handed
to Stanislav Gorlov who defends the activists tomorrow.
Hearing of the case of the fourth activist Veronica
Belozerskikh has not yet been scheduled yet...
The detained activists of the Youth
YABLOKO and Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor to Sergei Mitrokhin,
are facing 15 days of arrest in accordance with Article
19.3 of the Administrative Violation Code “Non-obeying
to the lawful police order”.
Protocols on administrative violations by the activists
were made in the Tverkoye police station, Moscow.
“I access this as an act of moral pressure,”
Artur Grokhovsky said over the phone. YABLOKO’s
leader Sergei Mitrokhin told that this constituted
an attempt of intimidation of the activists as they
had dared to oppose Vladimir Putin’s initiative...”
Four activists of the Youth YABLOKO
were detained by police after they enchained themselves
with handcuffs by the State Duma (the Russian parliament)
protesting against the new security service (FSB,
the former KGB) law. Artur Grokhovsky, Advisor to
party Chair Sergei Mitrokhin, was also detained.
“YABLOKO has been conducting this action protesting
against adoption of the draft law broadening the proxies
of the FSB. Today deputies of the State Duma has to
examine the draft law in the second reading. Artur
Grokhovsky stood by the entrance to the parliament
building with a placard picturing Byeria (Stalin’s
main accomplice), Dzerzhinsky and Putin with an inscription
“Amendments to the FSB law – the KGB men are for it!”
with the signatures YABLOKO had collected against
this law...
..Major Brezhnev personally participated
in detaining Grokhovsky: first he dragged Artur to
the police car and then hit him in the belly. Now
Anton is heading to the hospital to certify the bruises.
Grokhovsky also told that in February
he had been already arrested by the same policeman
for one-person picketing. Due to the video recording
made by YABLOKO Grokhovsky was acquitted by the court
then. Grokhovsky hopes that the court will acquit
the activists this time too, as the action was also
recorded...
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
expressed his indignation with police breaking of
YABLOKO’s one-person picket and arresting the activists
protesting against the amendments to the law on the
Federal Security Service (former KGB) by the Russian
parliament building. No permission or coordination
with authorities is required for conducting one-person
pickets in accordance with the Russian law. Nevertheless
the picket was brutally broken and the activists were
arrested.
Mitrokhin said that actions by police
officers who arrested the activist holding the placard,
as well as three other activists who were standing
by were a rude violation of the Constitution and the
law “On assemblies, meetings, demonstrations and pickets”...
Action against introduction of amendments
on the law on the Federal Security Service (the former
KGB), which YABLOKO attempted to hold today by the
building of the State Duma (the Russian Parliament)
was brutally broken by police. Despite of the fact
that it was a one-person picketing (four activists
had to replace each other in turn) and did not require
any permissions or notifications from the authorities,
four YABLOKO’s activists were arrested and taken
to the local police department and a placard depicting
the head of KGB Felix Dzerzhinsky, the closest accomplice
of Stalin in setting terror in the country Lavrenty
Beria, and Vladimir Putin and bearing a the words
"The KGB people vote FOR it!" was confiscated.
On June 11, at 9.30 am, half an hour
before the plenary session the Russian parliament
had to start, First Deputy Chair of the Moscow Yabloko
Galina Mikhalyova took her place by the main entrance
to the parliament building with a placard depicting
Felix Dzerzhinsky, Lavrenty Beria and Vladimir Putin
against a black ground and a hand voting for them.
“The law on preventing extremism. The KGB people
vote FOR it!" ran the slogan under the picture.
The Russian parliament will discuss this draft law
in the first reading today...
