Picketing in favour of Rechnik took place by the building of the Russian Government

Press Release, January 29, 2010

Today on January 29, 2010, the residents of the bulldozed Rechnik village together with YABLOKO activists organised a mobile picket in the form of automobile race. Since 2-30 p.m. picketing took place by the RF Government’s building. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitorkhin took place in the action.The participants of the picket hold a placard running “Yes to the amnesty of dachas!” and picturing President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin.

“We consider all the developments in Rechnik complete lawlessness, as not only a law on the “amnesty” of dachas but also a number of other laws make bureaucrats to file property title on land and houses in such cooperatives as Rechnik,” Mitrokhin told to journalists. “We think that this lawlessness is performed in the interests of bureaucracy and large business which would like to use this territory. The state demonstrates its cynical attitude to the people who with their own labour made money for construction of their private houses on legally purchased plots of land,” he added.

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'Selective justice' in Moscow as houses razed overnight. Reuters. Jan.28, 2010

Brief Outline of Sergei Mitrokhin’s Report at the State Council meeting

January 22, 2010

The key problem of Russia’s political system is monopolism which manifests itself in three major ways:

1) bodies of power and parliaments of all levels demonstrate monopoly of one party representing the interests of bureaucracy and large-scale business merged with it;
2) complete dominance of the executive over the judicial authority;
3) dictate of one social class – the bureaucracy – over all other social groups.
Thus, the present political system generally reproduces the Soviet system, with its key flaw – the monopoly of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on power.
Such monopoly led to the insensibility of the political system of the USSR to the challenges of the time. Attempts to reform the system were considerably belated and that, consequently, led to a collapse of the USSR.

The staff of the Government of the Moscow Region interferes with YABLOKO’s picketing

Press Release, January 28, 2010

The staff of the Government of the Moscow Region interfered with YABLOKO’s one-man picketing in front of their building. YABLOKO protests against virtual introduction of a ban on one-man pickets which has been initiated by the Moscow Region Duma.

The parliament of the Moscow Region submitted to the State Duma a draft law stipulating that one-man pickets (in addition to demonstrations, rallies and group pickets) should be not only coordinated with the authorities but organisers of such pickets should also submit the plan and schedule of such picketing. Activists of the Moscow Region branch of YABLOKO call one-man picketing the only form of street protest which has been available, as normally the authorities ban rallies and pickets with a large number of participants under faked pretexts.

Ekaterinburg’s Mayor suits the leader of the regional YABLOKO branch

Press Release, January 27, 2010

Ekaterinburg’s Mayor Arkady Chernetsky set in motion a lawsuit against deputy of the city Duma and leader of the regional YABLOKO branch Maxim Petlin.

The Mayor began a defamation case stating that Maxim Petlin had libeled against him at TV programme Vesti. The Mayor assessed his moral damage at RUR 600,000 (approximately USD 20,000) which makes 30 per cent of his official annual income amounting to RUR 1,700,000.

“Once Chernetsky sold out half of all the kindergartens buildings in Ekaterinburg,” Petlin said at the Vesti programme. The Mayor considered this statement be a libel.

However, explaining this situation Chernetsky told to the anchor of the Studio 41 TV programme that he had sold “only three kindergartens”. Other had been transferred to different companies and entities “free of charge”.

The Moscow City Court to examine YABLOKO’s cassation appeals concerning annulment of the results of the voting at four electoral districts

Press Release, January 27, 2010

Tomorrow on January 28, the Moscow City Court will examine YABLOKO’s cassation appeals on the decisions of district courts rejecting YABLOKO’s claims of recounting votes at four electoral districts where the United Russia party was added over 1,500 votes by sheer fraud during election to the Moscow parliament.

A cassation appeal on the decision of the Perovo District Court will be examined in room 225 at 10-30 a.m. In late December the court declined YABLOKO’s suit on annulment of the results of the voting at electoral districts No 887 and 888. According the official data, the United Russia party obtained there 1,002 votes more than was indicated in the signed copies of the protocols handed to the observers.

The Charter Court of St.Petersburg refused to examine the Okhta-Centre case

Press Release, January 27, 2010

Yesterday the Charter Court of St.Petersburg refused to examine the complaint of Maxim Reznik, the leader of St.Petersburg YABLOKO branch. Reznik claimed the resolution of the St.Petersburg’s government on construction of 403 meter high Okhta-Centre and a number of legislative acts should be cancelled. The Charter Court as well as Public Prosecutor preferred not to interfere into the scandal around Gazprom’s skyscraper Okhta-Centre and wait until “a general jurisdiction court makes its judgment”.

Reznik applied to the St.Petersburg’s Charter Court claiming that the resolution of the city government headed by Governor Valentina Matviyenko was unlawful as allowed Gazprom to construct at 403 meter high skyscraper prohibited in the historical part of the city. Also Reznik asked to cancel several normative acts (on regulation of city construction and public hearings) that served as a basis for the scandalous resolution.

Mitrokhin: “It is barbarity to evict people in such frosts”

Press Release, January 26, 2010

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin called Vladimir Resin, head of the Moscow Construction Complex, to apply to the Bailiffs Service with a demand to suspend housebreaking in the Rechnik settlement at least by the end of frosts. Such a proposal was made by Sergei Mitorkhin during yesterday’s meeting with Vladimir Resin devoted to the problems Moscow’s construction complex.

“Whatever ideas of the Moscow authorities could be here, but housebreaking and evicting people to the street in such frosts is barbarity. I proposed to Vladimir Resin to conduct conciliatory procedures with the residents of Rechnik, however, I did not get any support here,” Mitrokhin said. Nevertheless YABLOKO’s leader has been insisting on his proposals.

“I also expect some reaction to these developments from President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin whom I reported about this situation at the State Council meeting,” Mitorkhin said.

Young people from the Northern Caucasus stand for peaceful relations among republics

Press Release, January 26, 2010

After Taimuraz Mamsurov, head of the North Ossetia, and Yunus-bek-Yevkurov, head of Ingushetia, signed a programme for broadening of cooperation among republics, activists of youth movements also held their actions targeted at prevention of conflicts.

Youth public and human rights organisations from Chechnya, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Ingushetia met at the forum Youth for Peace at the Caucasus. YABLOKO activists from the North Ossetian branch of the party also took part in the forum.

Apple tree garden in Biryulyovo, Moscow, will be preserved

Press Release, January 25, 2010

“Apple tree garden in Biryulyovo, Moscow, will not be cut”, Vladimir Resin, head of the Moscow Construction Complex told to YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin during their meeting today. Moreover, the plot of land with the apple tree garden will be included into the natural reserve Biryulyovo Dendrary Park...

It is already the second apple tree garden saved by YABLOKO. In 2006 the party managed to stop cutting of the trees in Davydkovo district.

Galina Mikhalyova: 'If Medvedev Is in Favour of Democracy, YABLOKO Will Support Medvedev

Svobodnaya Pressa, January 15, 2010

Interview with Galina Mikhaylovna Mikhalyova, Doctor of Philosophy, Director of Center for Contemporary Politics Research, and Executive Secretary of the Political Committee of the YABLOKO party

On the threashold of Political Council meeting on political reform sheduled on January 22, the Kremlin received seven draft programmes for reform from all the parties. The reader may recall that the Communists asked Dmitry Medvedev to hold this State Council meeting during their meeting with him after the parliamentary opposition's demarche and announcement that October elections were fraudulent. The parties' proposals will become the basis of a report to be presented at the State Council meeting by Kaliningrad Oblast Governor Georgy Boos, the head of the working group. Doctor of Philosophy Galina Mikhalyova, Director of the Center for Contemporary Politics Research and Executive Secretary of the YABLOKO Party's Political Committee, talked about what the parties want from the President.

15th Congress of the YABLOKO party. On Stalinism and Bolshevism
Resolution, December 21, 2009

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO considers preservation of the Bolshevist – Stalinist type of thinking in the authorities and the society and picturing of the repressive regime as a variant of the norm be one of the acutest problems of today’s Russia. Growth of violence in politics and public life, acts of terror and political murders, the authoritarian regime and repressive law enforcement system, cynicism of the authorities and apathy of the population, replacement of the reforms by their imitation represent a direct consequence of this problem.

YABLOKO’s leader blocked by police in the Rechnik cottage village, Moscow

Press Release, January 21, 2010

This morning YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin arrived at the site of the Rechnik village where bulldozers began pulling down the houses early in the morning.

Mitrokhin noted that YABLOKO had been deterring pulling down of the village for two years. According to Mitrokhin, the Court Bailiffs Service, the police and the local authorities resumed their efforts as soon as the term of YABLOKO’s deputies in the Moscow City Duma expired and YABLOKO was not able to get the mandates after fraudulent elections of October 11.

On arriving at the site Mitorkhin called Ferdauis Yusupov, head of the Moscow Court Bailiffs Service. Yusupov asked Mitrokhin to find out whether there were any court decisions or documents for pulling down the houses. However, when Mitrokhin tried to find out the legal basis for demolishing of the village he was quickly blocked by police. Policemen made a cordon around him and did not let him freely move in the territory of the village.

Activists and leaders of the YABLOKO party participate in the action in memory of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova in Moscow

Press Release, January 20, 2010

Activists and leaders of the YABLOKO party participated in the action in memory of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova murdered a year ago.

Party leader Sergei Mitrokhin and member of the Political Committee Sergei Kovalyov participated in the march along Petrovsky Boulevard. Grigory Yavlinsky laid flowers to the place where Markelov and Baburova were killed and came to the picket by the Griboyedov monument where the march ended.

YABLOKO’s activists noted that they managed to escape mass-scale police reprisals only due to interference of Russia’s Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin who came to Petrovsky Boulevard.

At present YABLOKO’s activists are trying to prevent the second wave of arrests, provoked by the police who tore the megaphone from the speakers at the picket.

Picket against scanty pensions accrued to the military pensioners held by the Ministry of Defence

Press Service, January 20, 2010

Picket against scanty pensions accrued by the state to the military pensioners was held by the Ministry of Defence today. The activists of the YABLOKO party and the Elder Generation movement (the former Pensioners’ Party) protested against the present system of calculation of pensions basing on the fixed wage only and neglecting all the wage increments and bonuses the military normally get. This system leaves military pensioners with tiny pensions despite their real aggregate earnings during their service.

The activists of the Youth YABLOKO held a banner “Military Pensions Are a Shame on the State!”

YABLOKO and the Elder Generation movement to conduct picketing protesting against discrimination of pensioners

Press Service, January 19, 2010

Tomorrow on January 20, the YABLOKO party jointly with the Elder Generation movement (the former Pensioners’ Party) will conduct picketing by the Ministry of Defence building protesting against discrimination of pensioners.

Military pensioners protest against the present system of calculation of pensions basing on the fixed wage only and neglecting all the wage increments and bonuses the military normally get. This system leaves military pensioners with tiny pensions despite their aggregate earnings during their service.

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin, General Major in reserve and leader of the Moscow Region YABLOKO branch Anton Gorodetsky and head of the Elder Generation movement Alexei Borschenko will participate in the action.

The picket will begin at 12:00.

Address: Gogolevsky Boulevard (by the Gogol monument).

Attitude to human rights activists as a criterion of a law governed state

Statement of the YABLOKO party, January 19, 2010

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO states that the work of human rights activists and independent journalists in Russia have not become less dangerous for the year since the murder of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova.

It’s not only because the past year saw new attacks against human rights.

Nothing changed in the policies of the authorities and the situation with resentment of dissenting opinions promoted by the state mass media. State officials have been treating human rights activists as the enemies of the state, and their opinion coincides here with that of nationalists and fascists.

Such an attitude of the state to human rights activists demonstrates that at present Russia is not a law-governed state and, moreover, it does not try to become such.

YABLOKO demands dismissal of a top official

Press Release, January 15, 2010

Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the YABLOKO party, applied to the Ministry of Economic Development, the State Register and Public Prosecutor General demanding dismissal of O.Chapkovskaya, head of the Tikhoretsky Department of the Federal Registering Agency in the Krasnodar area. The said official completely blocked registration of citizens’ joint shared ownership to agricultural lands.

The official had been violating constitutional rights of the citizens for two years, and the latter had to seek justice in court. The court examined 107 complaints on unlawful actions of an official, making judgments on each of the cases recognizing the actions of the state registrator Chapkovskaya unlawful.

Crimes Against Nations Do Not Have a Limitation Period

Sergei Mitrokhin’s blog at the Echo Moskvi web-site, January 17, 2010

My post about the criminal mapping of the communist regime provoked an ardent discussion [in my blog]. However, I think that not all the readers have carefully thought over the issue.

In my post I wrote that there had been different crimes of communism against nations, and that they had been taking not only the form of terror or Famine genocide. Artificial division of nations implemented throughout the Soviet history is also a crime. [President of Ukraine] Viktor Yuschenko has been insisting on consideration of the Famine genocide only as a crime against the Ukrainian nation. In my view this represents typical political manoeuvring. Stalinist-Bolsheviks crimes targeted not only the Ukrainian nation. It is undeserving to speculate with such things for political reasons and basing on our common tragedy boost nationalism and hatred among nations.

If International Tribunal on the crimes of communism could take place, there would be certainly raised an issue about criminal separation of nations by means of arbitrary boundaries. It would be important for Russia, but before this Russia should on the state level and officially in the legal form condemn Stalinism as the hardest crime, including such crimes as deportation of nations and many other, including Famine genocide as a terrible crime of Stalin’s regime.

Russia’s Borders as a Communist Crime

Sergei Mitrokhin’s blog at the Echo Moskvi web-site, January 15, 2010

Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko put forward an initiative to call an international tribunal on the crimes of communism.

I think that his initiative should be completely supported by the Russian leaders. This would be a good method to finally give a distinct state assessment to the criminal acts of Bolsheviks – communists.

Certainly it would be better if we could initiate such a tribunal in our country. As despite the Famine genocide, the Russian nation and other nations living in Russia suffered far more from the Bolshevik-Stalinist genocide than the Ukrainian nation.

Speaking about crimes against people, I should point out that they took place not only in the form of genocide. Maybe Viktor Yuschenko did not think about this, as if he did he would not propose such an idea.

Artificial division of nations conducted throughout the Soviet history is a crime. Maybe not so grave as genocide, but nonetheless a crime.

Liberal International News, Issue 166.

LI President for strong international support for Iranian protesters
LI Deputy President launches book on the Economic Crisis
DPP looks forward after recent electoral successes
Nicaraguan Democratic Caucus rejects Ortega’s “coup d’état”
UK LibDems set out ambitious plan for Britain’s future
Canadian Liberals vocal against second suspension of Parliament
Alternative for Russia proposed by YABLOKO Congress

Alternative for Russia proposed by YABLOKO Congress

After the dubious recent regional elections in Russia, LI Full Member YABLOKO presented a democratic alternative to the Russian people during its congress. Party leader Sergei Mitrokhin said he wanted to concentrate on the important upcoming elections to the State Duma, with a focus on state control over elections at all levels. He called for the launch of a broad-scale discussion in society which should lead to the formation of a new democratic project for Russia. Grigory Yavlinsky, one of the party's founders, presented a report on the political situation in the country and the tasks of the party, and expressed YABLOKO's democratic alternative for the Russian political system: “The first goals are the introduction of freedom of speech, development of local self-governing, civil and human rights organisations, and trade unions. It is necessary to move towards abolishing of censorship, return to direct elections, gradual and complete refusal from interference of the state into the parties' affairs, change of election laws and freedom in party financing”.

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Activists of the Youth YABLOKO summed up the results of the Year of the Youth

Press Release, January 14, 2010

“In December 2009 activists of St.Petersburg youth YABLOKO organisation summed up the results of the Year of the Youth.

The authorities reported on “great achievements” in the field of youth policy in 2009 and young YABLOKO activists decided to demonstrate these “achievements”, such as extremely low stipends (that were not raised in 2009), high unemployment among young people (young people under 25 constitute 30% of all the unemployed in the country), considerable reduction of municipal budget expenditures on the youth policy, long queues for enrollment of children to kindergartens, scandalous appointments of universities rectors, etc.

The residents of the city of Klin and YABLOKO picket by the office of the Public prosecutor of the Moscow Region

Press Release, January 14, 2010

“Klin Should Get an Honest Public Prosecutor,” – such is the slogan of pickets conducted by the residents of the Klin district, Moscow Region, and YABLOKO by the office of the Public prosecutor of the Moscow Region.

Oleg Stalnov, Public Prosecutor of Klin, was dismissed from his post and downgraded to the post of deputy Public Prosecutor of the city of Domodedovo. It has been unclear who may take the post in Klin.The residents of the city and representatives of public organisations conducted several actions and rallies demanding to dismiss Oleg Stalnov due to the growth of corruption and general negligence of his office. Thus in September 2009, YABLOKO initiated a rally of about 500 people demanding to dismiss Stalnov.

After his dismissal YABLOKO, the Society for Preservation of Nature of the Moscow Region and the Farmers’ Front sent a letter to the Public Prosecutor General demanding to “control the appointment of a new Public Prosecutor for Klin and ensure that Klin would get an honest Public Prosecutor”.

YABLOKO collected 7,600 signatures in support of YABLOKO’s list for election campaign in Ryazan

Press Release, January 13, 2010

YABLOKO collected 7,600 signatures in support of YABLOKO’s list required for registration in the election campaign to the regional Duma in the Ryazan region during the holiday period.

The list of candidates is topped by Chair of the regional party branch journalist Konstantin Smirnov, honoured teacher of the Russian Federation and deputy of the regional Duma of the second convocation Sergei Tabolin, deputy head of the party branch lawyer Dmitry Shatilov and teacher in the arts school for children Galina Vorotzova...

Campaigning among workers of the social sphere demonstrated considerable difficulties. “Despite the fact that there are many party advocates of YABLOKO among this social layer, many of them fear to sign for YABLOKO noting, for example, that the director of their school made them join the progovernmental United Russia party,” said Konstantin Smitnov, Chair of the Ryazan branch of YABLOKO. “This is not surprising, considering how toughly the regional authorities pressed the budget sphere workers at the recent elections,” he added.

The Electoral Commission of the Sverdlovsk Region hampers YABLOKO’s campaigning for mandates in the regional parliament

UralInformBureau, January 11, 2010

Chair of the Electoral Commission of the Sverdlovsk Region Vladimir Mostovschikov has been undertaking efforts for withdrawing YABLOKO’s candidates from the regional Duma campaign. The leader of YABLOKO’s branch deputy of the Ekaterinburg City Duma Maxim Petlin told to UralInfromBureau that the decisions adopted on the initiative of Mostovschikov demonstrated this too well.

Thus, the regional Electoral Commission questioned the legitimacy of the candidates non-party members proposed by YABLOKO. They had the right to apply for being enlisted as Duma candidates within the first three days on announcement of the date of voting – from December 11 to December 14. However, this norm is not mandatory. But Mostovschikov insisted that the candidates should sign their applications even after expiration of this period. Suddenly the applications made on his request turned into a stumbling block in further relations between YABLOKO and the heads of the electoral commission.

ELDR Newsletter, January 6, 2010

- Belgium - Alexander De Croo elected as new OpenVLD chairman
- Spanish presidency of the EU
- European Parliament set for hearings of commissioner designates
- Russia, Yabloko Congress - elections control top priority
- Traditional FDP meeting at Epiphany

Russia, Yabloko Congress - elections control top priority
The second session of the 15th Congress of the YABLOKO party took place on December 19-20, 2009.
YABLOKO’s Chairman, Sergei Mitrokhin (picture), called on the Congress delegates to concentrate on the tasks of the coming elections to the State Duma focusing attention on the way the elections are conducted at all stages.
“The regional elections we had in October 2009 demonstrated that degradation of the Russian political system shifted to a new level,” Mitrokhin said. According to the chairman, the country has been returning to the initial point of the late 1980s – early 1990s, the point of passive social dissatisfaction under the conditions of authoritative power.

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YABLOKO competes for the top position

Press release, January 11, 2010

A new team striving for the top position emerged at the Zheleznogorsk football championship. Yabloko won tree games out of four and is competing for the first place in its group with the last year champion of the city the Yenisei team.

“We decided to create such a team after discussing the problems of development of football in the region at one of popular web-forums in Krasnoyarsk. Also the fact that we have been in the topic of Zheleznogorsk football for a long time and have been closely cooperating with many coachers, helping them where we can,” say party activists.

YABLOKO initiated discussion of amendments to the Charter of Kazan at public hearings

Press release, January 9, 2010

The YABLOKO party in the Republic of Tatarstan jointly with the movement Against Crime and Lawlessness conducted alternative public hearings on introduction of amendments to the Charter of Kazan connected with elections of the city Mayor. About 40 people – former deputies, well-known public figures, ecologists and representatives of the Guild of Small and Medium Businesses – participated in the discussion held on January 9.

Elections of the Mayor of Kazan and deputies of the regional parliament will take place in October 2010. The President and the present Mayor have already voiced their opinions that the Mayor should be elected by the deputies, however, the regional branch of YABLOKO disagree with this due to the following reasons...