The
police detained three candidates to the Moscow City Duma from
the YABLOKO party (candidates in the South-Eastern administrative
district of Moscow), who conducted a meeting with voters by
Aviamotornaya metro station.
On September 13 (at about 8 p.m.) policemen approached Tatyana
Ovcharyenko, Pavel Gerasimov and Yulia Timakova accusing them
in unsanctioned picketing and took them to the police station.
According to the police, YABLOKO’s candidates lacked a permission
for putting a desk and an umbrella with YABLOKO’s symbols,
as well as for the use of megaphone.
All the arguments that the law does not stipulate for any
permissions in campaigning did not work. YABLOKO’s candidates
were taken to the Lefortovo police department in YABLOKO’s
coach decorated with YABLOKO’s symbols.
According to Yulia Timakova, such unlawful acts of the police
might be caused by the fact that YABLOKO’s meeting coincided
with public reception hours in the Prefect’s office.
“The authorities continue their interaction to YABLOKO at
this election,” Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of YABLOKO’s list,
noted. “They resisted our participation in the election hindering
our collection of signatures, now they interfere with our
campaign,” Mitrokhin added.
According to Mitrokhin, “the authorities set the police against
YABLOKO on purpose, as they fear that YABLOKO will get into
the [Moscow] Duma.” “We are not surprised by this, as we know
that we live in a police state, however, we are going to fight
till the end,” Mitrokhin said.
See also:
Elections
to the Moscow City Duma, 2009
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