Recently a German newspaper published a "Confidential
Letter" allegedly sent by President Vladimir
Putin to President George W. Bush. The Kremlin denied
that Putin had sent this letter. It transpired in
the end that the letter had been written by Grigory
Yavlinsky, leader of Yabloko.
A letter to President Bush - FROM Yavlinsky,
NOT Putin
St Peterburg Times, N 640, Tuesday, January 30,
2001
While the U.S. State Department warned Americans
about traveling to the World Economic Forum in dangerous
Davos, intrepid opinion-mongers trekked into the Alps
to learn how Chinese and Russian leaders react to
Bush administration plans for missile defense.
Normal open public policies are today easily replaced
by PR, lies, libel and mudslinging. Today they don’t
enter into discussions with their opponents. There
is no political discussion any more. Today, if they
are seriously concerned about an opponent, they arrange
for his political burial in the press, the television
or three hours before the X-hour when he is removed
from the elections. Today, this is enough to show
who is right.
People see that we have sham independence of the
judicial system, which continues to heed the commands
of its superiors. This system can be used as a truncheon
whenever it is needed. It is always ready to open
a criminal case and start to hound someone.
CIS online, Agence France Presse, January 22,
2001
Gregori Yavlinsky, head of the liberal opposition
bloc Yabloko, warned against the return of a system
based on an "all-powerful bureaucracy" under
President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, at the end of
a human rights conference.
Analysis of the Emergency Congress of human rights activists which took place last weekend. Russian human
rights activists concerned about the situation in
Russia
Prominent politicians and former dissidents joined
more than 1,000 activists in Moscow this weekend to
declare a national emergency for human rights and
urge a consolidated fight to protect the Constitution.
Human rights campaigners from 65 regions representing
more than 300 organizations attended the two-day Emergency
Congress in Defense of Human Rights. Yabloko leader
Grigory Yavlinsky and Human Rights Commissioner Oleg
Mironov were among the speakers.
A bill to change radically the landscape of Russian
party politics awaits the Duma, the lower house of
the Russian parliament, when it returns on Monday
for its spring session.
The bill was sent to the parliament by President
Vladimir Putin during the Christmas recess. It proposes
allowing only parties with at least 10,000 members
to register legally and to compete in national and
regional elections.
The first deputy head of Yabloko's faction in the
State Duma, Sergei Ivanenko, has submitted a formal
request to Justice Minister Yurii Chaika, asking him
to give his expert evaluation of the new constitution
of Bashkortostan, Interfax reported on 12 December.
Director and administrator: Vyacheslav Erohin
e-mail: admin@yabloko.ru