On August 16, members of the Youth Organisation of YABLOKO and Deputy of the Moscow City Duma Sergei Mitrokhin came to the Red Square to collect signatures in support of YABLOKO’s election list. (Such collection of signatures is required by law from all the non-parliamentary parties so that to be registered for running their election campaigns. The law does not specify the time and place of collection of signatures).

Several security service and police officers came to the activists and asked for a permit. The young people gave to the officers their written address to the law enforcement bodies where they cited the law and explained that collection of signatures at the Red Square does not require any prior permits or registrations. However, the police was not satisfied with the explanations.

More police forces came and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Yablokov of the police ordered to arrest the young people. When Sergei Mitrokhin raised objections, the police officer refused to talk to him saying that the “all the explanations will be given in the police department”.

Seven young people were arrested at once. The police used physical force to Sergei Mitrokhin when he tried to protect three girls. (See video). Several police officers twisted his arms (despite deputy’s immunity), while others were dragging the girls to the police car.

Sergei Mitrokhin called this police action “sheer lawlessness” and said that would apply to court.

Mitrokhin followed the police car to the Kitai-Gorod police department where he wrote a complaint and demanded to release YABLOKO’s activists. After drawing up the reports the police released the activists, however handing them subpoenas to court on August 19. Three out of ten activists – Nelya Taktashyova, Maiya Zavyalova and Mikhail Pischulin – are facing 15 days of arrest for their alleged “resistance to police”. Seven activists are accused of participation in an “unsanctioned picket”. However, the video shows that the accused girls whom Sergei Mitrokhin tried to protect did not resist the police at all, visa versa they were violently dragged to the police car.

In addition the police also falsified one police report showing that there was violation of the law and the activists were detained for three hours only (allowed by law). For example, one report (on detaining Varvara Semyokhina) was simply “corrected” in handwriting – the time of arrest was changed in handwriting from 13-00 to 13-30.

Sergei Mitrokhin said that the allegations against YABLOKO activists represent “another lie from the police”. He also told that such lie of the police had already led to a fabricated criminal case against Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO. Bolshakov was sentenced to five years of suspended punishment as he allegedly “broke an arm of a police officer”.

“Such methods are used by the police so that to break our campaigning and prevent the party from being elected to the Moscow City Duma,” Mitrokhin said. He also added that the party had already won one of such trials (after collectors of signatures were arrested by the Park Pobedi metro station). Mitrokhin expressed his certainty that the court would protect YABLOKO activists this time too. “After the trial we shall come to the Red Square again to collect signatures,” Mitrokhin said.

During this action at the Red Square YABLOKO managed to collect about 100 signatures. YABLOKO has to collect and submit to the Electoral Commission about 80,000 signatures in support of its party list Until August 26 in a three weeks time during summer vacation period. YABLOKO has already collected about 30,000 as of August 13.

See also:
Elections to the Moscow City Duma, 2009

Press Release
August 16, 2009