“The time of Pravda is over.
This new law is unacceptable. Hungary must explain
and the Commission must act.” said Guy Verhofstadt,
Leader of the ADLE Group at the European Parliament
commenting on the adoption by the Hungarian Parliament
of a "Law on media services and mass communication",
on 20 December, that according to him “is against
all European Union standards”.
“Hungary is about to start its first EU Presidency.
In that function it not only needs to accept and endorse
but also defend all democratic principles that we
commonly share, including freedom of information and
press. No Member State can be allowed to put, in the
name of undefined national security, restrictions
to freedoms that lie at the heart of our Union of
values.” “We have witnessed a shocking
precedent, whereby critical media and public debate
will be silenced, the free market economy will be
violated and political independence will be denied.
What must we expect of Hungary after this?”
he concluded.
By Yuri Shein, special for
the web-site, December
16, 2010
The New Economic Association (NEA)
joining together the cream of the Russian economic
science formed Expert Council for Economic Reform
(EC). NEA Executive Board elected Professor of the
Higher School of Economics Dr. Grigory Yavlinsky Chair
of the Expert Council. The first meeting of the NEA
Expert Council which took place in Moscow on December
14 discussed the guidelines and the rules of procedure
of the Council. By this day 59 renowned researchers,
academics and practitioners – key specialists
on socio-economic institutions – had given their
consent to join NEA headed by Yavlinsky...
On 10 December LI full member Yabloko
together with two other parties without representation
in the Russian State Duma were invited to address
the parliamentary discussions thanks to a presidential
bill giving registered parties not represented in
the Duma or regional legislatures the right to speak
at parliamentary sessions once a year. The discussion
topic was however strictly restricted to labour issues.
Addressing the Duma Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin
related Russian labour problems to the country's lack
of democracy and its dependence on natural resources.
He also lashed out at the authorities for 'eliminating
political competition (...) and creating a monopoly
of one party' in the country criticizing the oil-dependent
economy for causing a 'high concentration of property'
in the hands of the elite and for an 'extremely high
level of corruption.' Mitrokhin further linked issues,
such as poor salaries and lack of rights for professional
unions, to the dominance of an 'authoritarian, corrupt,
oligarchic bureaucracy” stating that no progress
is possible until the political system is democratized.
The LI
News can be found translated into Russian on the Yabloko
website.
...Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin
lashed out at the authorities for "eliminating
political competition … and creating a monopoly
of one party" in the country and criticized the
oil-dependent economy for causing a "high concentration
of property" in the hands of the elite and for
an "extremely high level of corruption,"
Interfax reported.
Mitrokhin linked labor issues, such
as poor salaries and lack of rights for professional
unions, to the dominance of an "authoritarian,
corrupt, oligarchic bureaucracy” and said no
progress in this area is possible until the political
system is democratized...
...On a related matter, questioning
the Commission concerning recent evidence showing
that the EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement, in
force since June 2007, is still not fully implemented
in a completely reciprocal way, ALDE spokesperson
on Russia Kristina Ojuland (Reform Party, Estonia)
said "we fully support the visa waiver agreement
as a measure to enable Russian citizens to travel
to the EU with minimum formalities, but we would expect
the Russian side to apply the same standard to our
citizens. We must ensure that the current requirement
for EU citizens to register within three days with
the authorities if staying in a private home in Russia
is abolished."
...Mitrokhin stormed at the United
Russia with criticism which hurt the ruling party.
“The country has seen discrediting of the institute
of elections, elimination of political competition,
turning of division of authorities into sham and abrupt
restriction of the freedom of the press. Monopoly
of one party representing the interests of bureaucrats
and large oligarchic business associated with it was
set in the executive power bodies and parliaments
of all levels,” Mitrokhin said.
Other non-parliamentary parties decided
not to further sharpen the situation and made mild
speeches “partially, wholly and fully”
supporting the course towards the victory and triumph
of democracy...
LI News Special Edition for
10 December 2010 Human Rights Day
YABLOKO (LI full member) is a party
which advocates the end of discrimination of all forms
of human rights abuse. The YABLOKO Human Rights activists
have conducted a serious of rallies to end discrimination
and protect human rights in Russia. Activists from
YABLOKO's Gender faction led a parade to denounce
violence against women on the basis of gender equality.
YABLOKO is the only Russian party which joined the
UN action “The 16 Days of Activism against Gender
Violence” and strongly advocates women's rights.
Moreover, YABLOKO expressed its concern on the discrimination
against AIDS patients by participating in the Red
Ribbon international action for the World AIDS Day
on 1 December. YABLOKO believes that the state should
apply maximum efforts so that people with AIDS could
get the much needed assistance they need and that
society would stop treating them as outcasts. “The
state should restore order here. It should extend
a helping hand to the sick people and provide treatment
to them. All the mobbing which such people often have
to confront should be stopped”, said Sergei
Mitrokhin, Chairman of the YABLOKO party.
A cross-party coalition of MEPs has
used today's Human Rights Day (10 December) to send
a letter to Russia's President Dimitry Medvedev, highlighting
the ongoing persecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and
Platon Lebedev.
ALDE MEP Graham Watson (Liberal Democrat MEP, UK),
who is leading the initiative to raise the profile
of the Khodorkovsky-Lebedev trial, said: "The
Human Rights Day is an important occasion to reposition
human rights abuses at the forefront of the political
agenda. There is a clear consensus among objective
observers of the Khodorkovsky and Lebedev trials that
their ongoing persecution is unjust and not truly
motivated by law. In our letter to Mr Medvedev we
express our hopes that the expected conclusion of
the Khodorkovsky-Lebedev case will strictly adhere
to the principles of the rule of law"...
Leaders of Liberal International meeting
today in Brussels condemned attempts by incumbent
President of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, to hold
onto power after the independent electoral commission
had announced a victory in the November 28th presidential
poll for Alassane Ouattara, of the 'Rassemblement
des Républicains' (RDR), a full member of Liberal
International (LI), the international Liberal network...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 211. December 3, 2010.
After the 28 November elections the
final results confirmed that the pro-European orientation
of the Republic of Moldova, the Alliance for European
Integration (AEI), consisting of the Liberal Party
(PL, LI Observer applicant), the Liberal Democratic
party and the Democratic Party, obtained 59 seats
out of the total 101, allowing for a continuation
of reforms and the integration process. Negotiations
are now underway for a new majority coalition as 61
votes in the 101-seat parliament are needed to elect
a president...
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin
expressed his disappointment with Presidential Address
to the Russian parliament, as Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev virtually failed to propose any measures
in the field of political reform. “He did not
say a word about the “glorified” United
Russia party and nothing was proposed in the field
of political reform, however, in an earlier statement
the President had noted that without such a reform
we would not be able to overcome the signs stagnation,”
Mitrokhin said. “Only cosmetic changes has taken
place; whereas inequality of the parties that will
run in the parliamentary elections has been maintained.
In addition, the past regional and municipal elections
demonstrated that election fraud did not reduce at
all,” he noted...
ELDR member party Convergencia Democratica
de Catalunya (CDC) overwhelmingly won the elections
for the regional Parliament of Catalonia, the economically
strongest region in Spain. ELDR Party President Annemie
Neyts-Uyttebroeck wholeheartedly congratulates CDC's
leader Artur Mas who led the party alliance Convergencia
i Unió (CiU) during the election campaign and
is now due to become Catalonia's next Prime Minister.
"With 38,5% of the votes and
twice as strong as the previously ruling Socialists,
Artur Mas and his party will have solid support to
push for necessary decisions regarding Catalonia's
future and make it once again belong to the economically
healthy regions in Europe", commented the ELDR
Party President. "With
a great victory the new catalan government will push
for necessary decisions regarding Catalonia's future
and to make a greater Catalonia, fully commited with
the european future", commented Marc Guerrero,
ELDR Party Vice President...
Guy Verhofstadt, President of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European
Parliament today wrote to Convergencia i Unió
Party leader, Artur Mas, to congratulate him on a
stunning electoral victory last night in the Catalan
national polls in which CiU took 38.5% of the vote
which translates into 62 of the 135 seats in the parliamentary
chamber. Although not an absolute majority, the result
secures CiU as by far the largest party in Catalonia
and will deliver the presidency of the Catalan Government
to Artur Mas. "This is
truly a convincing victory for CiU, a member party
of the European Liberal family. I congratulate Artur
Mas and his colleagues on the tremendous result in
obtaining the support of almost 1.2 million voters
in Catalonia."
Europe-leaning parties have come close
to breaking the political deadlock that has crippled
Moldova for the past two years. In yesterday's snap
parliamentary elections (28 November), some 50% of
Moldovans voted in favour of a coalition of centre-right
parties, outpacing the Communist Party which only
achieved some 40% of votes.ALDE MEP Graham Watson
(UK, LD), rapporteur for the European Parliament on
Moldova, commented:
"The results show that a growing
majority of Moldovans is in favour of a pro-European
liberal political course. "However, it is disappointing
that the liberal democratic alliance parties appear
to fall four seats short of the required 61 parliamentary
votes necessary to elect a new president - although
this may change as the votes cast abroad are counted.
""All parties should now look for ways to
end the political crisis and give the country the
leadership it deserves"...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 210. November 25, 2010.
In the framework of a conference on
coalition politics co-organised by the Liberal Democrats
and ELDR, LI President Hans van Baalen MEP has met
and discussed with UK Deputy Prime Minister and LibDem
Leader Nick Clegg. At the Conference LI President
spoke of the Dutch experience saying that coalition
building and maintenance requires clear management
of daily politics, ambitions and perceptions: “It
is not a love affair; it is a marriage of convenience
which asks for a business-like approach and group
discipline. The coalition manifesto should be realized
on the basis of trust. Both parties should be able
to benefit and work on their profiles. It is a give
and take relationship...
"The eurozone is going through
turbulent times but Ireland is not the problem. Nor
is Greece or Portugal. Of course these countries have
a problem of credibility affecting their banks, their
budget, or their trade balance. But elsewhere in the
world there are also similar problems such as Japan
(200%), the US or the UK but they have a credible
economic governance and an image of unity," said
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberals and Democrats
in the European Parliament during today's debate in
Strasbourg...
A short version of Sergei
Mitrokhin's speech at the 3rd Conference of the Green
Russia faction,
November 23, 2010. Part 1
I believe that the union we concluded
long ago between YABLOKO and Green Russia is very
important. I was an active advocate of such a union.
Together we have created virtually the only political
organisation in the country which has been engaged
in comprehensive solution of environmental problems.
No one in this country, except us, has ever raised
the issues of environmental policy as such, and this
is a tragedy of our country. And the worst here is
that the government does not deal with these problems
either. The system of environmental protection has
been destroyed in several months after Putin came
to power, and you were the political force which strongly
opposed this. The first steps we have done separately,
but then we joined our efforts protesting against
the policy which was carried out then, or rather,
a rejection of any policy in this field...
Jelko Kacin MEP (LDS/Slovenia), member
of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula,
has responded to the exchange of fire between the
two Koreas, strongly condemning the provocations from
the North just a few hours after the confirmation
of the existence of new additional uranium enrichment
facilities. "It is unbelievable
that the regime would once again use an armed conflict
to facilitate the transition of power to the new generation
of the Kim dynasty," he said. "The
North needs to establish a firm civilian control over
the army, which is trying to tighten the grip on its
impoverished population. It is time to move past cold
war thinking in both Koreas."
Mr Kacin, who visited South Korea
in June and authored the European Parliament resolution
of 17 June 2010 on the situation in the Korean Peninsula,
urged both sides to refrain from escalating the tensions...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 209. November 18, 2010.
After Russian journalist for the Kommersant newspaper,
Oleg Kashin was severely beaten outside his home in
Moscow on 6 November, LI full member YABLOKO has issued
a press statement condemning the attacks and demanding
that authorities launch investigations into the attack:
“The YABLOKO party states that it is ready to
participate in an independent investigation of the
circumstances of this crime and render all possible
assistance as well as human and organizational resources
to Editor-in-Chief Mikhail Mikhailin and the team
of the Kommersant paper.” YABLOKO leaders also
picketed outside the Moscow Interior Office with other
journalists and political activists to demand investigative
action. Mr. Kashin's editor said that the attacks
were retribution for articles he had recently written
covering anti-Kremlin protests and extremist rallies
against the building of a highway through Khimki forest
outside Moscow which has now been put on hold by the
government. Attacks on journalists are not uncommon
in Russia. Human rights groups say there have been
19 unsolved murders of journalists since 2000 and
that investigations into attacks lead nowhere. MORE
On November 14, the YABLOKO party
conducted a federal action against political terror
launched against journalists and civil activists.
Such a picket was held in Kirov.
At noon six activists of YABLOKO’s
regional branch unfolded YABLOKO’s flags and placards
“Search for truth = a way to death?”, “Who will protect
the defenders?” and “Uninvestigated attacks [on journalists
and human rights actvists]= a disgrace of the state!”
Denis Shadrin, deputy head of the regional branch
of YABLOKO told to the “Reporter” that attack against
journalist Oleg Kashin was the reason for organizing
the picket. “This incident was the law straw that
breaks the camel’s back, as there were cases of violence
against representatives of the media and civil activists,”
Shadrin said. “The lives of the people who are telling
the truth to the society are very important and should
be in safety.” The goal of the picket was to draw
the attention of the authorities to this problem...
On November 14, several one-person
pickets demanding to stop persecutions of civil activists
and journalists took place in Samara.Five people participated
in picketing at the Heroes of the 21 Army Square (including
journalist from the Echo Moskvi radio station Gor
Melkonyan and head of YABLOKO’s regional branch
Igor Yermolenko), five more people came to support
the picket.
The participants of the action held
a placard “Stop persecuting civil activists
and journalists!”, another placard contained
names of activists and journalists murdered or injured
for the past years and a questions “Who’s
next?”...
Executive Committee of Liberal
International. Cape Town, November 13, 2010
It has become increasingly dangerous
to state one’s position in Russia. For the past
week civil activist Konstantin Fektistov and journalist
Oleg Kashin were beaten almost to death and severely
injured. Such crimes become
more frequent, as they go unpunished. Murders of well-known
journalist Anna Politkovskaya, lawyer Stanislav Markelov
and human rights activist Natalia Estemirova are still
uninvestigated.
For the past years our party YABLOKO
lost several our friends and colleagues – journalists
and human rights activists Larissa Yudina, Yuri Schekochikhin
and Farid Babayev. These crimes are still uninvestigated.
The fact that crimes against politicians, journalists
and human rights activists are unpunished gives rise
to new crimes.
The Russian authorities are unable
to ensure implementation of laws in the country. But
they widely practice arbitrary use of law as an instrument
for protection of their political and economic interests...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 209. November 13, 2010.
On Thursday 11 November Helen Zille
leader of LI Full Member the Democratic Alliance and
Premier of the Western Cape welcomed delegates to
the launch of the African Liberal Network General
Assembly in Cape Town. Representatives from 24 parties
in 19 African countries have gathered to promote liberal
democratic objectives and principles throughout the
continent. “The general assembly is an opportunity
to discuss the state of democracy in Africa, to share
democratic best practice and to support one another
in our respective political contexts,” Zille
commented pointing out that the ALN represents, through
its membership more than 12 million African voters...
"Any country
oppressing freedoms and human rights will sooner or
later face its repercussions. May today's release
also be an example and a sign for China to free 2010
Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo." Verhofstadt
concluded...
Commenting on today's (Wednesday,
10 November) presentation of the EU energy strategy
for 2020 by EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger,
Fiona Hall, Leader of the UK Liberal Democrat MEPs,
said:
"The Commission's shining new
energy strategy does not distract from the fact that
it is disappointingly short on detail.
"While I fully welcome the Commission's
emphasis on energy efficiency, the now published strategy
lacks new ideas and commitments to further the drive
towards substantial reductions in energy consumption"...
Liberal International Human
Rights Newsletter. November 8, 2010
Marking 60 years of the European Convention
on Human Rights and the Council of Europe, Guido Westerwelle,
Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Germany (FDP, LI full member), attended the event
and delivered a speech. He cited examples of the Council
of Europe's core mission, including fighting for Roma
rights, fighting against human trafficking, dealing
with new human rights challenges in the Internet era
and support for the Court of Human Rights. Mr. Westerwelle
also urged the Council of Europe to focus on human
rights protection... MORE
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 208. November 4, 2010...
In an interview with Russian Kommersant
newspaper Grigory Yavlinsky, member of LI Full Member
YABLOKO's Political Committee, discussed modernisation,
reforms and elections in Russia pointing out that
a collapse of the current political system could be
a realistic option. ”The Soviet system was not
reformed, [our society] was simply built on its ruins
and that is why we have the system we currently have
(...) Many people are losing trust in the state and
its institutions (...) The ban on criticism of top
officials, including the President and Prime Minister
should be abolished without delay,” Yavlinsky
said. He further commented on the Russian political
system being 'an imitation of democracy” saying
that official survey data implies that very few people
believe that the carried out elections are fair. He
also highlighted the importance of getting institutions
working again through modernisation and reformation,
“We should take institutional actions where
possible reducing manual control to the required minimum
(...) Institutions need to start functioning. Moreover,
the apparent discrepancy between words and deeds encourages
indifference and crime.”MORE
Grigory Yavlinsky at Finam
FM radio, November 3, 2010
The trial on the second criminal case
of the YUKOS company is close to the end. The sentence
to Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev will be
announced on December 15. The state prosecution demands
that the defendants should get 14 years of prison
settlement. Co-Chair of the Board ZaModernizatsiyu.Ru
(For Modernisationa) Grigory Yavlinsky commenting
the trial to the Finam FM radio told that Khodorkovsky
was a victim of the state system...
...Kommersant: Why are all the democrats,
including your party YABLOKO, have been constantly
repeating that our political system is "an imitation
of democracy." Is it because you are hurt: as
democrats have been losing all the elections, this
means that we have not a democracy, but its imitation?
Yavlinsky: They have been asking this
question for fifteen years already. Do you think that
it is possible to play being hurt for such a long
period of time? I do not think people who say that
twice two is four say so because they are offended.
Millions of people are absolutely convinced that the
elections are unfair. These are not only our ardent
supporters (by the way, we have millions of supporters,
even according to the official figures). Many people
are losing their trust to the state and its institutions.
But as many people still believe that we should participate
in elections, at least for the fact that no one could
say "well, you see, you yourself do not go, so
it’s your fault”, we have to participate.
By the way, the October election day (Ed. regional
elections in 77 Russian regions took place on October
10, 2010) showed us many signals that people had positive
attitude to us, although we experienced great difficulties
in the campaign and monitoring over the counting of
the results...
Krasnodar police did not allow to
conduct a rally in memory of the victims of political
reprisals on October 30. Movement For Krasnodar informed
kasparov.ru about this. Citizens came to the memorial
action with placards and flowers, however, the police
stopped the rally... Organiser of the action and member
of the local branch of YABLOKO Sergei Surma is facing
a law suit for attempted organisation of an unsanctioned
rally...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 207. October 29, 2010
Commenting on Cuban journalist and
dissident, Guillermo Fariñas being awarded
the prestigious 2010 Sacharov prize, given by the
European Parliament to proponents of freedom of speech
worldwide, LI President Hans van Baalen, MEP (VVD)
said he was “very happy” with Fariñas
victory; “The prize means worldwide attention
for one person. Winning the Sacharov prize makes it
difficult for a regime to make somebody “disappear”
(...) Cuba realises that it is being watched”...
MORE
Russia faces serious ecological challenges,
which are having adverse effects on both the natural
environment and the health of the population, demonstrated
by its lower than average life expectancy for a developed
country. The problems are exacerbated by the state
authorities’ policy of “de-environmentalism”
or “de-ecologization”, whereby environmental
costs are deemed acceptable in the quest for economic
gains. A significant change in mindset towards the
environment is required in both the power-structure
and wider society in order to arrest the trend of
environmental neglect in Russia.
The Consequences of Environmental
Neglect Every year in Russia, approximately 35,000
people die as a result of car accidents, 40,000 from
alcohol poisoning and 490,000 from environmental-related
diseases (data taken from WTO in 2004). Furthermore,
experts claim that about half of Russia’s 180,000
miscarriages per annum are due to environmental causes...
Download
Reproduced with the kind permission
of Forschungsstelle Osteuropa, Bremen, Center for
Security Studies, Zurich, and Research Centre for
East European Studies, http://www.res.ethz.ch/analysis/rad/
...… 18. Calls on the Russian
authorities to comply with all the rulings of the
European Court of Human Rights and to implement measures
to rectify violations in individual cases, including
by ensuring that effective investigations are conducted
and by holding the perpetrators
accountable, and to adopt general measures to implement
the rulings, including policy and legal changes to
prevent similar violations recurring;
19. Recommends that the state authorities at federal,
regional and local level start a constructive dialogue
with civil society activists so that functioning democratic
structures can develop;
20. Calls for the EU-Russia human rights consultations
to be stepped up and urges that this consultation
process be opened up to effective input from the European
Parliament, the Duma, the Russian judicial authorities
and civil society and human rights organisations;
calls on Russia to respect fully its obligations as
a member of the OSCE and of the Council of Europe;
21. Draws particular attention to the situation of
thousands of North Caucasus refugees in EU Member
States, with special reference to the diaspora from
Chechnya living in Austria, which amounts to at least
20 000 people, including many minors; expresses serious
concern, in that connection, at the murder of a Chechen
refugee in Vienna in May 2010 and the grave allegations
regarding the Chechen President’s implication
in that crime; calls for the EU Member States to implement
a more coordinated, coherent and visible policy on
the protection of North Caucasus refugees on European
soil, in accordance with their humanitarian and human
rights obligations;
22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution
to the Council, the Commission, the governments and
parliaments of the Member States, the Government and
Parliament of the Russian Federation, the OSCE and
the Council of Europe.MORE
"At the forthcoming summit with
the United States scheduled for 20th November in Lisbon
the European Union should raise the matter of the
very serious allegations highlighted this week by
WikiLeaks of collaboration in torture and killing
of Iraqi detainees during the war in Iraq," said
Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Liberals and Democrats
in the European Parliament.
"This will obviously be a sensitive
topic for the US Administration but partners in the
Transatlantic Alliance must be clear on common rules
of engagement in times of conflict if we are to retain
any moral standing in the world. Whilst the allegations
concern actions undertaken during the previous Bush
Administration, it will be incumbent on the present
one to investigate the abuses, pursue those complicit
and lay down stricter guidelines for conduct in combat."
MORE
We are growing in size and significance",
said Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, ELDR President,
in opening remarks to the journalists on the first
day of the European Liberal Democrats annual Congress
on "Demographic Change" in Helsinki, Finland.
"We have managed to double the amount of delegates
in four years, partly due to interesting themes such
as the one we are discussing at this Congress which
concerns and involves all the liberal parties in Europe...
MORE
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 205. October 14, 2010
In response to the awarding of the
Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese democracy advocate Liu
Xiaobo, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), LI
full member has expressed its support for democratic
activism in China. LI Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao
(DPP) commented: “The Nobel award to Liu Xiaobo
is an important recognition of the ongoing efforts
of Chinese democracy activists, who have risked their
lives and personal freedom, to fight for human rights
and civil liberties in China (...) The international
community must continue to support their efforts by
demanding the immediate and unconditional release
of Liu and other prisoners of conscience in China.”
The Nobel Committee announced that Liu was awarded
the prize due to his “long and non-violent struggle
for fundamental human rights in China...” MORE
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky
by Yulia Kalinina, MK. October
8, 2010.
...MK: Can we assemble the collapsing
systems with the help of modernisation?
Yavlinsky: If under modernisation
we understand merely technological innovations, then
we can not.
MK: What does modernisation mean for
Russia?
Yavlinsky: Modernisation of Russia
means changing the rules of social relations inside
the state, set the same law for everyone, introduction
of independent court, putting the government under
public control, formation of the legislative authority
with account to the opinion of a large part of the
society, rather than some bureaucratic group. This
is what modernisation is about...
...Grigory Yavlinsky: ...The Russian
economy resembles a drug addict: with a pipeline pushing
gas into his left arm and an oil pipeline running
to his right arm. This results in economic hallucinations.
KURIER: Will you compete in the presidential
election?
Grigory Yavlinsky: We'll see. I tried it twice. In
1996 and 2000, however, these were not free elections.
But these were nevertheless elections. It was like
a football game. I had a gate that was 100 meters
wide and a team of five players. Yeltsin had a gate
one meter wide and a team of 15 players. Since 2004,
there have been no playing field and arbitrators anymore.
Only a scoreboard and the score: 100:1...
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 203. October 1, 2010
Following the recent expulsions of
Roma community members in France, the European Commission
has announced the opening of an infringement procedure
against France for not fully implementing the 2004
EU Directive on Free Movement into its national legislation
within the stipulated period. Guy Verhofstadt, Leader
of LI Full Member the ALDE Group who was first to
react to the anti-Roma policy of France said: 'We
welcome the Commission's decision to initiate action.
We will be most vigilant that every step of this infringement
procedure be taken if necessary...MORE
St.Petersburg branch of YABLOKO decided
to address federal television channels calling them
to make a film about family business of top officials
in St.Petersburg
According to Maxim Reznik, head of
St.Petersburg branch of YABLOKO, the address will
be forwarded to three federal television channels
– NTV, RTR and ORT – that unexpectedly and simultaneously
discovered the truth and began covering failures and
drawbacks in the work of the Ex-Mayor of Moscow Yuri
Luzhkov. “We think that television channels should
be consistent and also broadcast films about St.Peterburg’s
problems and the family business here too,” Reznik
told to the Zaks.ru. “We would like to believe that
they have finally opened their eyes and will be continuously
releasing such materials, and we are ready to help
them here...”
The European Parliament's special
committee on the financial, economic and social crisis
(CRIS) adopted today by large majority (33+, 2-) its
interim report on the lessons learned, just as EU
commissioner Olli REHN presents new proposals on strengthening
economic governance.
ALDE member Wolf KLINZ (FDP, Germany),
chairman of the CRIS committee, comments: "For
Liberals, it was of upmost importance to reach the
broadest consensus possible in the Parliament on this
issue, therefore I am very satisfied with today's
outcome. In such a crisis it is important for Parliament
to be united". MORE
Liberal International News
Bulletin. Issue 202. September 23, 2010
LI President Hans van Baalen MEP,
when explaining the political situation in The Netherlands
at the Bureau Meeting in Liverpool, defended the Danish
government model. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary
General, and current Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke
Rasmussen proved that such a model can produce a stable
government for the benefit of the country. The future
Dutch cabinet under VVD leader Mark Rutte will be
a coalition of VVD and the Christian Democrats receiving
parliamentary support by the Party for Freedom (PVV)
and on a case by case basis other parties. The new
liberal-led cabinet will uphold the constitution,
protect human rights and civil liberties and will
fight discrimination. It will be a stable partner
in the European Union and on the international scene.
It will focus on rebuilding the economy. Van Baalen
also praised liberal leader and Deputy Prime Minister
Nick Clegg for his courage to enter a coalition government
with the Conservatives. “The start of the Cameron-Clegg
cabinet is promising and has brought the Liberal democrats
after many years back in the centre of British politics.
The British cabinet is a liberal one able to engage
in a constructive dialogue with the EU and a real
free market approach with a social conscience.”
Today European Commission unveiled
their plans for the next five years to combat inequality
between men and women in the EU. While ALDE broadly
supports this strategy and welcomes all measures aimed
at tackling gender imbalance, is this plan heavy on
rhetoric and too light on action? Dr
Antonyia Parvanova (National Movement for Stability
and Progress, Bulgaria) and ALDE coordinator on the
Womens Committee commented, "The European Commission
is setting up an ambitious agenda, tackling gender
equality in a wide range of policy areas. We particularly
welcome the fact that actions addressing the existing
social and economic gender gaps are being pursued,
as well as the emphasis on women in top level decision-making
positions but while I notice plenty of vocabulary
such as "promoting", "welcoming",
"reporting" and "considering",
I am concerned that there is not enough concrete action
being proposed". MORE
European Liberals wholeheartedly congratulate
their Swedish member parties Folkpartiet Liberalerna
and Centerpartiet to their results in yesterday's
Swedish parliamentary elections even if their electoral
alliance is short of 3 seats for an absolute majority.
"Both parties showed an impressive campaign finishing",
commented ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck.
Only a few weeks ago, polls still
suggested a comfortable majority for the alliance
of the left. However, reality proved to be different...
MORE
Parliamentary elections will be held
in Sweden on 19 September. For the first time in history
two coalition blocks, i.e. government alternatives,
have been formed before the elections giving the voter
the opportunity to choose which administration it
wants for the following four years, resulting in a
fierce campaign for undecided voters. The liberal
influence of ELDR parties Centerpartiet and Folkpartiet
could be key in determining the shape of the new government.
MORE
Reacting to Turkey's referendum result
yesterday in support of constitutional reforms, Alexander
Graf Lambsdorff (FDP, Germany), spokesperson for the
ALDE group on EU-Turkey accession negotiations in
the foreign affairs committee said: "This
is a step in the right direction on Turkey's road
to democratic reform. The majority of the 26 articles
of the Constitution that have been modified increase
the rights of citizens v-à-v the State and
limit the influence of the military over civilian
rule. However Turkey must remain vigilant as regards
the separation of powers between State and judiciary
in order to guarantee the independence of the latter"...
MORE
"France is profiting from Europe's
most vulnerable population (the Roma), by paying €300
per adult, and €100 per child for them to leave
the French territory. Thus, the French government,
on the pretence that the repatriation is voluntary,
has convinced itself that buying off the Roma´s
conscience is a humanitarian act. It is regrettable
that in 2010 the country which is the birthplace of
human rights, has stooped to such methods" said
Renate WEBER (PNL, Romania), ALDE coordinator for
the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal
Affairs (LIBE) during a debate on the Roma situation
in the EU. She added: "This type of behaviour
was already used two years ago by Italy while the
then European Commission preferred to shut its eyes.
This is why the European Commission carries part of
the responsibility for this wave of deportation of
Europe's Roma. It is time to create a strategy for
the inclusion of Roma with the shared participation
and responsibility of the Commission and of the 27
Member States"... MORE
Moskau - Mit Gasmasken und Transparenten
haben Demonstranten der oppositionellen liberalen
Jabloko-Partei am Dienstag vor der deutschen Botschaft
gegen die Einfuhr von deutschem Atommüll nach
Russland protestiert. Sie wollen die radioaktiven
Abfälle, die aus dem Rückbau des einstigen
DDR-Forschungsreaktors in Rossendorf bei Dresden stammen,
nicht in das Land hineinlassen. In der Region im Ural,
wohin der Transport gehen soll, würden die Menschen
ohnehin bereits unter extrem hoher Strahlenbelastung
leiden, sagte Parteichef Sergej Mitrochin auf der
von der Miliz scharf bewachten Veranstaltung. Das
sei die Folge einer verbrecherischen Atompolitik Moskaus...
After the rising of tension in the
Moldovan four-party ruling Alliance for European Integration
(AIE) coalition, Moldova's Acting President Mihai
Ghimpu of the Liberal Party (LI Observer Member pending
Congress confirmation) said that it must put an end
to infighting if it wants to win the upcoming parliamentary
elections. In an interview, President Ghimpu said
the alliance had a duty to continue the reforms it
set upon: “The AIE [is] responsible not only
to its voters, but also to the European Union, which
[has] helped [the AIE] to govern.” His remarks
came after Prime Minister Vlad Filat of coalition
partner the Liberal Democratic Party announced that
he might run for President, thereby violating a former
coalition agreement. The government coalition, which
also holds LI Observer Member Alliance Moldova Noastra,
is looking forward to complete a set of important
constitutional reforms before the next elections including
a reform of the electoral system. The coalition faces
fierce opposition from the Communist Party of Moldova,
which is the biggest party in the Moldovan Parliament...
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
for Europe deeply regrets that several European governments
have brazenly stigmatised the Roma community over
these past summer months. "The exiling of German-born
Roma children to Kosovo, the military-style dismantling
of Roma camps in France, the massive expulsions, and
the encouragements of an Italian minister to carry
out openly xenophobe policies, are sad events for
the European Union whose values have been ridiculed",
deplores Guy VERHOFSTADT, president of the group who
requests a declaration from the Council and the Commission
on the Roma situation in Europe for the next Strasbourg
plenary. "The Parliament must remind Europe of
our principles and the Commission must assure that
the rights of minorities are respected", added
M. Verhofstadt ...
Moscow, 23 August: According to human
rights campaigners, the murder of Natalya Estimirova,
an activist of Memorial (human rights centre), is
not being investigated.
"The investigation is not moving.
It has stagnated," Svetlana Gannushkina, head
of the Citizens' Assistance committee and a member
of the council of the Memorial human rights centre,
told Interfax on Monday (23 August)...
On 18 August, in a speech to mark
the milestone date of the first 100 days of the coalition
government in office, UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick
Clegg, leader of LI full Member Liberal Democrats,
declared himself 'really proud' of the government's
achievements as he insisted that the coalition was
committed to long-term decision-making “that
will promote a better future, a more prosperous economy
and a fairer society.” Mr. Clegg further hailed
progress on the economy, civil liberties, political
reform and changing the shape of public services by
saying that the government was 'about much more than
cuts' as he set out his vision for a fairer society.
'I am really proud of the achievements so far, from
civil liberties, to political reform, to steps to
reshaping our public services. And of course, our
first budget, which set out our plans to repair the
public finances...Our critics characterise us as being
solely defined by our public spending cuts. So let
me be clear: tackling the deficit is our immediate
priority, but is it not our be-all and end-all. This
Government is about much more than cuts” Clegg
continued...
In a speech on Wednesday, British
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris
Huhne, of LI Full Member the Liberal Democrats, lashed
out at the Labour party for leaving the United Kingdom
in a financial state close to bankruptcy. The speech
came in an effort to justify the coalition government's
spending cuts in order to overcome the United Kingdom's
biggest budget deficit in peacetime history. Mr. Huhne
said: “In just two financial years up to the
election, public spending rose by 10 percent in real
terms. [..] The truth is Gordon Brown tried to buy
the election. Labour's big spender went on a hell
of a bender. It was goodbye prudence and hello hangover”...
Cuba's decision last week, to release
52 of its political prisoners, is a welcomed step
in the right direction in the development of the human
rights situation on the island. Although a historical
decision, due to the amount of prisoners being released,
further improvements in Cuban human rights issues
are required. LI Deputy President Juli Minoves comments
on the decision saying, 'I salute the recent release
of political prisoners from Cuba. In this day and
age political prisoners should not exist. The intense
conversations between religious authorities, the Cuban
regime and international diplomacy have produced tangible
results and in this line LI will definitely work towards
the promotion of democracy and human rights in the
Island.' Last October LI Secretary General Emil Kirjas
visited the island in a mission to support freedom
and democracy. Tomorrow LI Deputy President Juli Minoves
and Emil Kirjas will speak at an event in Barcelona
focusing on future perspectives on democracy in Cuba.
With the decision made by the Liberal
Democrat-Conservative government in the UK to hold
a referendum on adopting “Alternative Vote” , the
UK moves one step closer to adopting a form of proportional
representation. According to recently elected Deputy
Leader of the Lib Dems, Simon Hughes MP: ““The coalition
Government has decided in one move to give all voters
a much greater say in who is chosen to represent them
and to give Parliament a much greater say in the business
of Government…With an easier and more up to date electoral
register in the future, the whole of Britain will
have a much more representative democracy. We will
also end the scandal where votes have been of unequal
value and in many places of no value at all — and
where many people have scandalously not even been
allowed to vote.” The Liberal Democrats currently
serve as a coalition partner in the United Kingdom,
with leader Nick Clegg serving as Deputy Prime Minister.
Recently he met with leader of the Liberal Party of
Canada, Michael Ignatieff .
Addressing the Belgium Prime Minister,
Yves Leterme, in a parliamentary debate in Strasbourg
today, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal and
Democrat group in the European Parliament, underlined
that the success of the Belgian Presidency would be
judged on its ability to steer through the measures
to address the financial and economic crisis.
"There is one over-riding concern
on the minds of Europe's citizens and that is how
we can quickly and efficiently emerge from the current
crisis and era of austerity and lay the foundations
for future growth and prosperity. Belgium now faces
its own stress test whether it can live up to expectations
and deliver genuine Community responses to a crisis
that transcends all frontiers..."
Europe must protect freedom of expression
and press following the example of Iceland" said
Marietje Schaake (D66, NL) during today's ALDE seminar
on " Censorship and Self censorship" hosted
with Alexander Lambsdorff (FDP, DE) which looked at
challenges to freedom of expression, with a special
focus on the role the internet plays and with the
aim to be informed, and inspired by good practices,
to be alerted to worst cases, and to consequently
look at concrete ways to make Europe a safe haven
for the free word, also online.
"Freedom of expression is under
threat in Europe, which instead should be a model
for the rest of the world. How can we credibly speak
about a lack of freedom of expression in China or
Iran if we don't apply the highest standards ourselves?
Journalists, cartoonists, but also scientists are
increasingly censored, or apply self-censorship, and
in worst cases, individuals are not able to live in
freedom after expressing certain opinions. This is
unacceptable and that's why we should learn from Iceland
where the most protective draft legislation for whistleblowers,
confidential sources of journalists and libel-tourism
prevention is being prepared." Schaake added
"No person should be afraid of
the consequences when they freely express themselves.
That would be contrary to European values we believe
in and protect. ALDE defends the right to offend which
is an essential part of freedom of expression, and
we will stand with those who come under pressure to
freely express their views, be they political, artistic
or otherwise." said Alexander Lambsdorff...
By Andrei Kolesnikov, Forbes
Russia, June 18, 2010.
Mr. Lukin as Ombudsman is an experiment:
a democrat of 1960s (Ed. The famous period of liberalisation
in the Soviet Union) in the state structure of the
Putin’s period. Will he survive or not? Will
he bend or not? Will he merge with the surroundings
or not? He survived, did not bend and did not merge...
But he unexpectedly presented an example
of an honest politician in dishonest circumstances.
There even emerged such an unconventional concept
in politics as a conscience. And this is an awesome
power. They all are afraid of that old honest man.
On Sunday 13 June, more than seven
million Belgians were invited to cast their ballot
in elections for both the House of Representatives
and 40 seats in the Senate. These early elections
were made necessary after the Belgian federal government,
led by the Christian Democrat Prime Minister Yves
Leterme, collapsed in April of this year over deadlock
on economic questions as well as the lingering question
of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
- the last remaining in Belgium where it is possible
to vote for either Dutch or French speaking political
parties...
Press Release, Liberal International,
Issue 188, June 17, 2010
The Dutch elections saw victories
for both LI Full Members VVD and D66. VVD became the
largest Dutch party for the first time since its foundation.
VVD secured 20.5% of the popular vote, an increase
of nearly 6%, while D66 more than doubled their support
from 3% to 7%. VVD Leader Mark Rutte now faces difficult
coalition talks due to the fragmented Dutch political
landscape. The right-wing Freedom Party became third
biggest and was regarded winner of the elections next
to the VVD. Due to the big electoral gains of VVD
and the Freedom Party, Rutte expressed his wish to
start talks with the right-wing party and the Christian
Democrats: “After all, the VVD and PVV won a
total of 23 additional [seats] in the parliamentary
elections. A coalition with them will be difficult,
but not impossible”. Meanwhile, D66-leader Alexander
Pechtold expressed his wish for a socialist-liberal
coalition to “reform The Netherlands in a responsible
manner. It will be a balanced and stabile coalition:
something we need in times of economic troubles”...
Here we are appraoching the problem
of overcoming the totalitarian past, which was solved
by all the countries in transition from totalitarianism
to democracy. And each case dealt not simply with
exposing of totalitarian leaders and parties, but
in parallel with this it dealt with eradication of
the social habits carrying the inertia of totalitarianism.
We have not virtually solved this problem...
Speech by Sergei Mitrokhin
Liberal International Executive Committee
Berlin, June 11, 2010
Announcing a policy towards modernisation
in Russia President of Russia put himself in line
with a number of Russian rulers-reformers who aspired
to perform radical transformations in the country.
Some specific traits of this policy resemble those
of his predecessors. The President understands modernisation
primarily as acceleration of scientific and technological
development. With some reservations about the need
for political reform, the latter look like a number
of quite shallow and very systematic activities...
Announcing a policy towards modernisation
in Russia President of Russia put himself in line
with a number of Russian rulers-reformers who aspired
to perform radical transformations in the country.
Some specific traits of this policy resemble those
of his predecessors. The President understands modernisation
primarily as acceleration of scientific and technological
development. With some reservations about the need
for political reform, the latter look like a number
of quite shallow and very systematic activities...
The VVD has won the Dutch parliamentary
elections on Wednesday 9 June, becoming the number
one party in the Netherlands for the first time in
its 62 year history, with 20.4% of the votes. The
election night started with exit polls showing the
Liberals and Labour running neck-and-neck, but when
90% of the votes were counted the VVD took the lead
with 31 seats (an increase of 9 seats) against 30
for Labour, which lost three seats.
VVD Leader Mark Rutte, who is expected
to become the next Prime Minister, made a victory
speech in the early hours of Thursday 10 June: "During
the campaign, we have tirelessly tried to convince
people of our convictions how to get our country out
of the crisis. This result gives our party an obligation
which we can all sense. We will respect the result
and the trust which the voters have given us."
The VVD campaigned with the slogan "putting affairs
in order," calling for a stop to reckless public
spending and a rigorous budget cut to ensure sustainable
state finances.
The Dutch voters, however, have given
a difficult task to Mark Rutte as the political landscape
remains fragmented and any government coalition will
have to consist of at least three parties.
The other ELDR member party, the social
liberal D66 obtained 7% of the votes and more than
tripled its number of seats, from 3 to 10. D66 achieved
the highest result in Wageningen, the hometown of
its Political leader Alexander Pechtold; 15%.
ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
MEP: "I am thrilled to see that both our Dutch
member parties have achieved such good results. It
confirms our conviction that citizens expect leadership
in these times of crisis and support parties which
are not afraid to implement liberal reforms and tough
measures to achieve again a sustainable budget."
Grigory Yavlinsky’s letter
to Vsevolod Bogdanov, Chair of Russia’s Journalists
Union, June 9, 2010.
Yuri Schekochikhin is an event in
the lives of all of us, an event both in our journalism
and in politics. Whatever he did - wrote play scripts,
engaged in journalist investigation or worked as a
Russian parliament member – all was very different
from how other people did this, all had an imprint
of his personality, talent and his understanding of
freedom and justice.
Yuri Petrovich was not merely a politician
in the ordinary sense or the word, he understood life
as the one who had the ability to transform it. A
special atmosphere always emerged around him, and
there was place for different people by his side.
And he still unites us all, we do not simply keep
memories of him, but feel his presence in our life.
Yuri Schekochikhin has always been
and remains our friend.
Guy VERHOFSTADT, President of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European
Parliament, today sent his congratulations to both
Liberal parties on their outstanding election results
in the Netherlands.
"The victory of VVD in topping
the polls will bring another Prime Minister to the
Liberal table in Europe and marks an historic achievement
for the Party. The 31 seats that Mr Rutte's party
gained in the national parliament will provide a strong
base for taking the necessary, if tough, measures
on the economy to create growth and job opportunities
in the longer term."
"Alexander Pechtold's D66 also
did exceptionally well in more than tripling their
score of parliamentarians. I look forward to working
with both parties in the months and years ahead."
Russia’s Ombudsman and one of
the founders of the YABLOKO party Vladimir Lukin says
that the heads of the interior should apologise before
the participants of the rally they arrested at the
Triunfalnaya Square, Moscow. He
also refuses to sign an agreement on cooperation with
the Interior Ministry until this is done, runs the
BBC service.
Lukin has also prepared or is going
to prepare and submit to the heads of the state proposals
on “normalisation of the situation with conducting
rallies,” Grani.ru informs with a reference
to the Echo Moskvi radio station. Lukin announced
this while commenting on police breaking of the action
held in protection of Article 31 of the Constitution
of Russia which guarantees freedom of assembly. “The
Russian law does not contain such words as “sanctioned”
or “unsanctioned”, and all the talk about
sanctions are purely subjective,” Lukin stated.
He also added that the heads of the Interior Ministry
should conduct a thorough investigation of the events
at the Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow on May 31.
Lukin also reiterated that he himself
had been present at the rally and “can state
that the law enforcement acted in an extremely tough
and rude manner”. He also noted that on the
same day the authorities gave a permission to conduct
“a ‘gala-medical’ action”;
whereas all the participants of this action were allowed
to conduct a rally in the centre of Moscow from early
in the morning till late at night...
According to Interfax, the Supreme
Court of Dagestan sentenced Rakhil Mamedrezayaev to
15 years of imprisonment in the colony of strict regime,
the Jury found Mamedrezayaev guilty of murder of Farid
Babayev, the leader of the Dagestan YABLOKO, and unlawful
keeping of guns.
The state prosecution asked the court
to sentence the accused to 12 years of imprisonment
in accordance with Article 105 of the Criminal Code
(murder) and to additional five years of imprisonment
in accordance with Article 222 of the Criminal Code
(unlawful weapons-bearing and keeping of guns). Considering
this fact, the Jury acknowledged the accused deserving
leniency, the prosecutor asked to give him 16 years
in total...
Yesterday the European Union publicly
expressed its concern over the situation with human
rights in Russia. Such a statement was made by deputy
head of the EU delegation in Russia Michael Webb.
On the threashold of the Rostov-Don summit Moscow
police brutally supressed an opposition rally. The
head of state in the meantime did not respond to both
of the developments. NG experts comment that Dmitry
Medvedev is deliberately disassociating himself from
the urgent problems. They note that Premier Vladimir
Putin does not avoid the human rights topic.
Michael Webb of the EU mission said
at the news conference in Rostov-on-Don that the European
Union was particularly upset by the “situation
with human rights activists and murders of journalists
in Russia”. “We have also expressed our
concern with the fact that the crimes committed by
the law enforcement go unpunished,” Webb added...
In the final phase of the Dutch general
election campaign, Mark Rutte, leader of LI-Full Member
VVD, managed to win the first two televised election
debates with the leaders of the other parties. Both
Rutte and D66 leader Alexander Pechtold put down a
solid performance in the second debate on Wednesday,
highlighting their liberal views on such topics as
economic reform, taxes and the labour market. Dutch
polls have shown the rise of the VVD to the top of
the ranks, with Rutte's party now leading every significant
poll in the country. The latest poll put the VVD on
36 seats (currently 21), well ahead of the trailing
socialist PvdA with 29 seats. D66 meanwhile is looking
forward to a tripling of their current 3 parliamentary
seats, securing 9 seats in the polls. Looking ahead
to a possible VVD victory, Rutte said to be ready
to lead the country as the first liberal Prime Minister
of The Netherlands in almost a century: “I am
ready to be Prime Minister in the difficult years
that are ahead of us”.
Sarah Ludford (UK, Liberal Democrats)
ALDE spokeswoman on Bosnia & Herzegovina, has
strongly welcomed the European Commission's approval
today for visa-free travel for Bosnians and Albanians
to the EU Schengen zone. The proposal will now go
to the Council of Ministers for its support.
She said:
“It is fantastic that the people
of Bosnia and Albania are set within a few months
to regain the freedom to travel without red tape in
Europe that they had two decades ago in the former
Yugoslavia. This will help to integrate Bosnia into
Europe and boost its journey towards EU membership.
It is also a step forward for Albania - a country
that suffered so long behind such rigid frontiers.
“But this concession is not
a free lunch. In return for visa waiver, BiH and Albania
have made big efforts to increase document and border
security and increase police competence to tackle
criminals. It is a win-win situation where the authorities
of the EU and Bosnia and Albania cooperate more closely
in law enforcement but real security is also boosted
by Bosnians and Albanians raising their horizons and
seeing how a diversity of people get along together
in the rest of Europe.”
* Sarah Ludford was the European Parliament
rapporteur on the Visa Information System.
By Robert Woodthorpe Browne.
Special for YABLOKO's web-site. May 26, 2010
...Now the UK has a coalition Government,
in which Nick Clegg is Deputy Prime Minister, with
5 LibDems in the Cabinet and a further 15 as junior
ministers. The legislative programme, read out by
Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, contains very many policies
from the LibDem manifesto, and the two parties are
committed to a 5 year government to enable them to
carry out their reforms and eliminate the deficit.
The real lesson to be learned from
a Russian point of view is that the UK suffered from
limited access to the media for minor parties. If
a platform is given to others – as in the prime
ministerial debates – the people are able to
make an informed choice and will be excited by a political
process that they will not think to have been “fixed”
by those already in power.
The leader of the Russian United Democratic
Party YABLOKO Sergei Mitrokhin was reelected chair
to the Moscow organisation of the party. On Sunday,
May 23, forty delegates of the conference of the Moscow
branch of YABLOKO elected Sergei Mitrokhin Chairman
of the Moscow Regional Branch of the YABLOKO Party
for another two-year term.
UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
(Leader of LI Full Member the Liberal Democrats) this
week pledged the “biggest shake up of [UK] democracy
in 178 years”, as he vowed to extend plans for
political reform and promised to restore the British
voter's faith in politics. He laid out his view for
a liberal Great Britain during a speech on Wednesday,
in which he also said the aim was to 'transform [UK]
politics so the state has far less control over you,
and you have far more control over the state'. This
would include significant measures and reforms aimed
at improving British citizen's right to privacy. Mr.
Clegg stated: “I'm talking about the most significant
programme of empowerment by a British government since
the great enfranchisement of the 19th Century. The
biggest shake up of our democracy since 1832, when
the Great Reform Act redrew the boundaries of British
democracy, for the first time extending the franchise
beyond the landed classes. Incremental change will
not do. It is time for a wholesale, big bang approach
to political reform.'
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff MEP (FDP,
Germany) Vice President of the ALDE Group and a Member
of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee,
has called for the immediate release of opposition
activists arrested in Belarus yesterday.
Lambsdorff said: "Yesterday we
witnessed unacceptable and repressive action against
opposition parties, civil society organisations, and
the independent media. This is harsh reminder that
Belarus continues to fall far short of basic democratic
standards". "On behalf
of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe,
I call on the authorities to release any activist
still in police custody and to halt on-going judicial
proceedings against those who are doing nothing more
than exercising their fundamental human and democratic
rights."
Lambsdorff explained that if the Belarusian
authorities fail to take action, this may have serious
consequences for the countries relationship with the
European Union: "If the authorities continue
with these repressive measures, the EU must reconsider
its policy towards Belarus". "In
those circumstances, the High Representative, Baroness
Ashton, should undertake a full review of relations
between Belarus and the European Union". On
the forthcoming Belarusian presidential election -
in late 2010 or early 2011 - he added:"The
opposition must be allowed to take part in the election
without hindrance or intimidation."
May 18, 2010
Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Rradio Finam,
May 12, 2010
PART 2
May 17, 2010
Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Rradio Finam,
May 12, 2010
PART 1
...Yavlinsky: Well, it’s correct.
You can live like this, and live like this for a long
time. Or not so long, it depends. Approximately 25%
of the population of our country are satisfied with
the situation, and will be satisfied. The economic
system created in the country is a stable system,
a self-reproducing system with its social support,
and it should be noted, with a strong public support,
the key feature of this system which is that people
who live in this system and use it do not wish to
part with it, because this would worsen their situation
very rapidly. [Our] people are mostly well-educated,
intelligent, they understand that such a system will
not last long in a strategic sense, but to part with
it at present, today would mean worsening of their
situation today and tomorrow. Therefore, they do not
want this. The system has shown for the past ten years,
that if the situation on the world markets is more
or less favourable, than the system will be functioning
and provide good growth rates...
It was 65 years ago that the World
War II ended. The scope of the disaster was so devastating
that the entire world learned the lesson and found
ways for reconciliation of the recent foes and creation
of international mechanisms for peaceful development
of the mankind. Responsibility and intellect of politicians,
experts and public leaders took over narrow national
and corporate interests allowing to formulate common
approaches to the construction of a new Europe and
a new world. After the war, the UN and the Council
of Europe were established and the integration of
the European democratic states leading to today’s
European Union began. The Liberal International was
created, and its Oxford Manifesto of 1947 proclaimed
liberal values to be a must for future development.
Freedom and democracy, human rights and rule of law
became key components of the new world order. In spite
of the fact that half of Europe remained under Stalin’s
totalitarian dictatorship, progress was irreversible.
This value-orientation proved to be successful as
the communist regimes collapsed in the USSR and Eastern
Europe...
The UK sees the first involvement
of a liberal party in government since the Second
World War, after the forming of a coalition government
between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.
After an exciting campaign, the UK elections gave
LI Full Member the Liberal Democrats a never before
attained 23% of the popular vote, but nevertheless
a small loss in parliamentary seats due to the first-past-the-post
electoral system. LibDem leader Nick Clegg found himself
in the position of kingmaker after the Conservative
party failed to secure a parliamentary majority in
Westminster. Negotiations led to the formation of
a coalition with the Conservative Party, with Mr.
Clegg securing a liberal position on a range of important
coalition issues, a number of cabinet positions for
the LibDems and the position of Britain's Deputy Prime
Minister for himself. Key issues for the liberals
in government will be tackling the country's economic
difficulties and reforming the political system. Deputy
Prime Minister Nick Clegg has promised a coalition
government 'that will work' saying it will 'ensure
that everybody has the chance to live the life they
want to live', offering 'fairer taxes, better schools
[and] a fair, green economy”. LI Full Member the Alliance
Party of Northern Ireland landed a Westminster parliamentary
seat for the first time in history, unseating the
Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson in the
process....
...Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the
Yabloko opposition party and a former Duma deputy,
voiced doubts that the Public Chamber had a chance
of defeating City Hall in court. “All court cases
will be lost,” Mitrokhin said, adding that the critics
faced a tough fight with “hungry investors” coming
to “snatch up the city.”
He said the opponents managed to score
a minor victory when they forced City Hall to remove
new waste-burning plants within the Moscow city lim
its from the Genplan...
...For three days Khodorkovsky was
comparing the real development of the company with
the bandit slang of the prosecutors. What the investigators
called “criminal schemes” all the world
has been learning in business school and paying high
fees for that and also reading in the Economics textbooks,
i.e. the entire world but for the prosecutors...
The key issues on the agenda of discussions
between YABLOKO members Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexander
Shishlov meetings and PACE politicians are the reforms
in PACE and the Council of Europe and drawing public
attention to the Babayev case (leader of the Dagestan
YABLOKO and candidate to the State Duma Farid Babayev
was murdered in 2007, the trial has been still going
on).
On April 26-27 the founder of the
YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky and member of YABLOKO’s
Bureau and ex First Vice Chair of the ALDE Group,
PACE, Alexander Shishlov will be in Strasburg on the
invitation of one of PACE’s factions - the Alliance
of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (ALDE).
Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexander Shishlov
will propose a number of changes to the charter documents
of PACE and CE. “The reforms are necessary so
that to prevent PACE’s turning into a kind of
small UN,” Grigory Yavlinsky stated at a press-conference
earlier today...
The oligarchs' formula for modernization:
the citizens should work more, get less payment, and
not complain when they are dismissed without compensation.
People usually name the confrontation
between the civil society and a corrupt state be the
key political conflict in modern Russia. The latest
statement by [tycoon] Mikhail Prokhorov, who voiced
the position of the Russian Union of Industrialists
and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) on labour legislation, showed
the people that there is one more serious conflict.
It is called ‘open social confrontation’.
Between business and hired labour. The statement by
RIUE sis very important.
Maybe for the first time for the past
years the society has been openly shown that large
business has its own interests; separate from both
the "state" and the "public" interests.
During the heady "noughties", the large
business dressed up in the clothes of bureaucratic
patriotism and its face demonstrated a grin of "social
responsibility" when in public...
A senior Russian judge who presided
over the high-profile trial of a gang of racist killers
was assassinated in Moscow on April 12 2010. Eduard
Chuvashov, who was shot on the way to work on Monday
morning is suspected to have been killed by ultranationalists
as revenge, after he jailed three skinheads last week
for racially-motivated murders. The Moscow City Court
judge has previously sentenced a gang of skinhead
youths for similar crimes and also worked on cases
involving Russian officials accused of corruption
and embezzlement. Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of LI Full
Member YABLOKO, commented on the murder that took
place in broad daylight in Moscow: “We think
that this blatant murder of a federal judge who has
been conducting the most resonant cases against nationalists
and chauvinists represents a challenge both to the
judiciary and the civil society… [it is an attempt]
on behalf of nationalistic and fascist forces to frighten
and split our multiethnic society over nationalistic
issues.”
On Tuesday, the British parliament
was dissolved and a general election was called for
6 May. LI Full Member, the Liberal Democrats will
play a decisive role during the elections, as British
voter confidence in ruling Labour party and the opposition
Conservative party is in a state of flux. Liberal
Democrat Leader Nick Clegg presented his party as
the only real force for change in a speech on Wednesday:
“In the campaign over the next four weeks you
will hear a lot about political reform. David Cameron
will talk about cutting the cost of politics. Gordon
Brown will talk about reforming the Lords. Their words
are a smokescreen for the truth. Only the Liberal
Democrats can be trusted on political reform. [They]
talk about it. We will make sure it happens.”
Mr. Clegg will have a chance to face his opponents
Brown and Cameron during the first televised national
debate on 15 April.
...On the occasion of the forthcoming
meeting between President Barack Obama and Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev to sign an agreement on
a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty, ALDE leader
Guy Verhofstadt offered his words of support: “The
agreement reached represents a break with the past
and makes a major contribution to the ambition of
building a safer world without nuclear weapons. I
am strongly encouraged by the US-Russia agreement
on nuclear arms reduction. I expect it to serve as
a basis for the forthcoming summits in Washington
D.C. and New York that will frame international consensus
on tackling nuclear proliferation. President Obama
will find strong supporters within the European Union
in addressing this challenge...”
Yavlinsky’s master class sparks buoyant
discussion, generates new ideas ICEUR's
first master class starring reform economist and opposition
leader Grigory Yavlinsky was held on 26th March, 2010,
at the International Press Club Concordia in Vienna.
It was attended by a select audience including diplomats,
journalists, members of the scientific community and
students. At the beginning of the session which held
the participants in suspense for almost three hours,
Yavlinsky analyzed the current situation in Russia
and identified six preconditions for reform which,
in his mind, could lead Russia out of the present
impasse. A successful economic reform, he argued,
was impossible without the realization of property
rights, a functioning local administration, an independent
justice and a new relationship between citizens and
authorities...
...In his turn Grigory Yavlinsky,
co-chair of the Council of ZaModernozatsiyu.Ru and
member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee, stated
that that "discussing enforced modernisation
would be a waste of time and effort”. "History
shows us that a totalitarian regime can transform
an
agrarian state into industrial, however an industrial
state can not be transformed into a post-industrial
in such a way." “We have a country of total
literacy, however why should we seriously discuss
Skolkovo (Kommersant: creation of the Russian Silicon
Valley there),” Yavlinsky said. “This
is like growing corn which we all witnessed once (Mr.Yavlinsky
is speaking here about countrywide cultivation of
corn initiated by Secretary General of the Communist
Party Nikita Khrushchev in early 1960s)! The same
thing has been happening with nanotechnologies. Why
should we discuss this on a national level?!”...
Sergei Mitrokhin, Leader of LI Full
member YABLOKO, was quick to express his condolences
after the deadly attacks on the Moscow Metro on Monday
morning. “On behalf of the YABLOKO party I am
expressing our deepest condolences to all the relatives
of the victims of today's acts of terror, and our
support and compassion to all the victims.”
He added that Russians should thoroughly investigate
the incidents, saying “I demand an objective
and urgent investigation of these crimes. I find it
necessary that not only the organisers of these acts
of terror but also the heads of the security bodies
who did not draw any lessons out of the previous crimes
of this kind in Moscow and other cities in different
parts of the world [will be interrogated].”
LI President Hans van Baalen MEP issued a statement
earlier this week condemning the attacks: “These
cowardly attacks once again show the need for increased
international cooperation in the fight against terror.
Russia can not defeat terrorism alone. Putin and Medvedev
need to reconsider their opposition to NATO and foster
stronger relations with its member and partner countries
in order to provide better security to its citizens.”
Outrages act of murder that took place
in the Moscow Metro and that killed dozens of people
dead and injured does not leave unnoticed. On behalf
of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
allow me to express my condolences and solidarity
in the face of this tragedy.
Terrorism has no excuse or justification. On this
Monday morning in Moscow it has shown its ugliest
face. A hideous crime was committed without concern
or consideration for human life. We deplore in strongest
terms and call to justice all of the perpetrators
of this massacre. Fighting terrorism requires determination
and cross-border partnership. European Union stands
prepared to extend its hand in finding sustainable
solutions in persecuting and eliminating terrorism.
Liberal International President Hans
van Baalen MEP has strongly condemned the terrorist
attacks in Moscow. He stressed the need for more cooperation
through international organizations in the worldwide
war against terrorism. Van Baalen also expressed his
condolences to the families of the victims and the
Russian people.
According to Van Baalen: “These
cowardly attacks once again show the need for increased
international cooperation in the fight against terror.
Russia can not defeat terrorism alone. Putin and Medvedev
need to reconsider their opposition to NATO and foster
stronger relations with its member and partner countries
in order to provide better security to its citizens.
Terrorist networks are linked from Yemen to Afghanistan
to Chechnya. Terrorism is an international problem
that requires an international solution. We need to
take a stand together.”
Alexei Melnikov, member of
YABLOKO’s Bureau, specially for the web-site.March
29, 2010
Today the democratic opposition should
be together with the people. Tomorrow we will discuss
the atrocious acts committed by the terrorists and
the role played by Putin’s incapable government. Also
we shall make the correct choice at the elections
of the State Duma of Russia in 2011 and the President
of Russia in 2012.
However, already today all YABLOKO’s
civil activists who are registered in Moscow or in
the Moscow Region can do what they can. It is necessary
to give blood for those injured during the explosions
in the Moscow metro.
It is necessary to give your blood
free of charge and starting from tomorrow. You can
do this, for example, at the Blood Transfusion Centre
(Polikarpova 14), five minutes on foot from Begovaya
metro station. You will need your passport at the
Blood Centre. Information: (495) 945-75-45. Working
hours for donors: Monday – Friday, also the
2nd and the 4th Saturdays of the month: 8.30 -13.30.
The author of these lines has already
given his blood. I am calling all of you to follow
my example.
The ELDR Party wishes to express its
condolences to the people and families that have been
caught up in the bombings on the Moscow metro system
earlier this morning...
Please receive our deepest condolences
in view of the acts of terror in Moscow.
An atrocious crime was made and our
hearts are with those who were injured. We are grieving
about those killed together with their relatives and
all the Russian citizens and we are wishing the soonest
recovery to the injured.
Terrorism has no place in our world
whatever goals they would proclaim.
Sincerely,
Kristina Ojuland,
Deputy of the European Parliament,
the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Group (ALDE)
Sergei Mitrokhin’s blog
at the Echo Moskvi radio web-site, March 29, 2010
On behalf of the YABLOKO party, I
am expressing our deepest condolences to all the relatives
of the victims of today’s acts of terror, and
our support and compassion for all of the victims.
I am demanding an objective and urgent investigation
of these crimes.
I also find it necessary to investigate
not only the organisers of these acts of terror, but
also the heads of the security bodies who did not
draw any lessons from the previous crimes of this
kind that took place in Moscow and other cities across
the world.
It would appear that the authorities
have lulled themselves into a false sense of security
with their own propaganda; the claims that they have
successfully ended the war in the Caucasus, that they
have allegedly achieved stability in Russia.
Is not it clear that after every operation
against militants in the Caucasus we should not confine
ourselves to bravura reports and press releases, but
we must prepare for the terrorists’ acts of
revenge in every Russian settlement, especially in
crowded towns and cities...
The plan to construct a section of
the new Moscow-St.Petersburg motorway through the
legally-protected Khimki Forest Park will destroy
a rare eco-system. Dogged local resistance has turned
this into a national, even international issue. But
it has not derailed the plan...
LYMEC news, March 22, 2010 On Friday, March 19, three young members
of Russia's Yabloko Party were arrested by the police
in Omsk, Russia, for gagging a statute in a city park
as part of a Europe-wide day of protests against the
Belarus dictatorship. The activists were released
today but their situation remains precarious in Russia's
legal system.
Aloys Rigaut, President of European Liberal Youth,
reacted today to this news: 'We are pleased that the
three activists were released, but this situation
simply should have never happened. The Russian police
grossly overreacted in a manner that is incompatible
with a country that claims to be a democracy. This
example goes to show that the right to a peaceful
and non-violent protest is still not something that
the Russian people can freely enjoy'. He continued:
'We are particularly worried that one of the activists
suffered from a serious medical situation while in
prison and was not offered any help. Such actions
are unforgivable and should make those responsible
for arrest themselves a subject of a criminal investigation.'
Annemie Neyts, ELDR President, also
raised her voice immediately last Friday: 'We all
must recognize that Russian people are increasingly
subjected to a harsh political pressure and denied
their freedom of speech. A painful example is the
constant exodus of journalists to the near Baltic
or Scandinavian countries as political refugees.The
three young liberal activists arrested in Russia during
a peaceful demonstration against censorship in Belarus
represent the noblest example of courageous people
unwilling to succumb to a system of controlled information.
ELDR strongly asks for the release of the prisoners,
for a fair investigation over the detention and calls
for the accountability of the government'.
Dr.Yavlinsky offered his analysis of the roots of
the present situation in Russia and gave detailed
proposals on a complex of required economic and political
reforms.
Note: Chatham House leads the ratings of world analytical
centres; it is the third time that Dr.Yavlinsky is
invited to make a report in the Chatham House.
European Liberals wholeheartedly congratulate
their Vice President Markus Löning for his nomination
as the new coordinator for Human Rights of the German
Government. At the end of March he is due to be formally
appointed by the Government cabinet.
European Liberals are proud that a
liberal will embody Germany's fight for human rights
worldwide.
During the Russian regional elections
on 14 March there were once again allegations of fraud
and manipulation in favour of ruling party United
Russia. Liberal International Full Member YABLOKO
was not allowed to participate in the regional parliamentary
elections in some regions where YABLOKO traditionally
obtained good results. YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin
commented on the elections: “We think that the
situation in Russia has been deteriorating. Our party
was not allowed to participate in regional parliamentary
elections in two regions (the Sverdlovsk Region and
the Kaluga Region), as Russian law contains a discriminatory
norm of collection of signatures for non-parliamentary
parties [which allows an] oppositional party [to]
be ousted from elections”. Despite the obstructions
to YABLOKO in the regional elections, on the threshold
of federal elections in 2011, the elections showed
rising support for the party on the local level. Elections
to the municipal assembly in Tula were especially
successful: despite alleged fraud in favour of United
Russia, YABLOKO obtained over 11 per cent in Tula,
considerably improving its previous result in this
city (3 per cent in autumn 2009).
...Golos, Russia's leading election
watchdog, said the election campaign was as dirty
as any in recent years, complaining of United Russia's
domination of the media.
The electoral commission blocked the
opposition Yabloko party from standing in two regional
votes after thousands of signatures collected by the
party were ruled invalid...
Despite Medvedev’s appeal for
smaller parties to participate, running in local elections
has become even harder, said Vladislav Morozov, head
of the Yabloko opposition party's branch in the Kaluga
region, located 160 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court banned
the party from running for seats in the regional legislature,
citing problems with signatures the party collected
to be registered for the vote. Yabloko leader Sergei
Mitrokhin said the violations were minor, Noviye Izvestia
reported Wednesday.
Morozov is currently one of three
Yabloko deputies in the regional legislature, which
like most in Russia is dominated by United Russia.
Morozov complained that Kaluga Governor
Anatoly Artamonov, a member of United Russia is actively
campaigning for United Russia candidates and almost
daily appears on local television to endorse party
candidates.
“That reminds me of the times
of Brezhnev,” he said, referring to Soviet elections
when the Communists had a one-party monopoly.
Speech by Sergei Mitrokhin
at ELDR Council meeting, Rome, March 12, 2010
In my view, elimination of visa barriers
between Russia and Europe should be examined and solved
by politicians rather than bureaucrats. All we need
is political will towards such strategic decision-making.
Long-term advantages here both for Russia and Europe
considerably overweight bureaucratic problems. And
it will also allow us to solve such issues as, for
example, work permits and registration for foreign
citizens working in Russia, which should be part of
the general agreement on elimination of visa barriers.
For the Russian citizens the freedom
of movement within Europe is not reduced only to facilitation
of their business, study or tourist trips (though
this is also very important). This means their normal
life within a single European civilization on the
basis of mutually shared principles and values. This
issue has become especially acute when visa barriers
separated us from our close Eastern European neighbours.
However, close interaction with them has always been
very important when we speak about European trends
in Russia.
Regional Elections in Russia
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, convening
in Rome, Italy on 12th March 2010:
Noting:
- The ELDR Party resolution “Russian Elections”
adopted in November 20092;
- That regional elections are taking place this Sunday
(14th March 2010) and ELDR’s member party, Yabloko
is not being allowed to run in the regions of Sverdlovsk
and Kaluga;
- That despite President Medvedev’s statements
on access to participating in elections, the Yabloko
Party continues to be discriminated against.
Calls on the Russian authorities to:
- Take urgent remedial measures in ensuring free and
fair elections and maximum public control over voting;
- Observe Russia’s obligations to ensure democratic
standards under its membership of the OSCE and the
Council of Europe.
Will:
- Raise this issue with the ALDE Groups in the Council
of Europe and the European Parliament.
ELDR Newsletter.
March 4, 2010
Election
troubles in Italy and Russia
If on one hand Yabloko, Russia, is still struggling
against the Russian authorities because of its last
non-registration in the regional election race in
two key regions (please click here for more details),
on the other Radicali Italiani, scored a good goal
on the path of the rule of Law and protection of civil
rights.
The Italian party, after a careful investigation,
reported the numerous irregularities over the list
of the centre- right candidates in Rome and Milan-
two crucial strongholds of Berlusconi’s party
- and seeing them finally erased from the competition.
START-1 does not affect the viability
of Russia's ground-mobile missiles. Authoritative
representatives of the RVSN (the former and new commanders,
the former and new chiefs of the MoD 4th Central Research
Institute, and others), and there are no grounds for
trusting them less than to Colonel Belov, Generals
Ivashov and Chervov, or Marshal Yazov, who are not
even missilemen. The peacetime deployment area (125,000
square km) defined for each regiment is more than
sufficient, and the missiles' concealment relies not
on the acreage of the area but on the ramified structure
of the roads and the strength of the bridges. In the
pre-war period the operational deployment of missiles
was in no way limited in terms of acreage. The key
thing for the viability of our mobile launchers is
camouflage in the field positions, where the Americans
have never monitored anything and about which they
know nothing. START-1 had nothing to do with this.
Statement by the International
and Moscow Memorial Societies. Press Release. March
3, 2010
Officials from the Moscow Mayor’s
Office have stated that portraits of Stalin are to
be put up in the city for the 65th Anniversary of
Victory Day. As is usual, it is not known by whom
and at what level this decision was taken, but it
is clear that the portraits will be produced at the
expense of the taxpayers, who include those who lost
their relatives through the fault of the dictator.
But it is not a question of money, and nor is it that
some of those invited to the celebrations will probably
not wish to come to a city, decorated in such a dubious
manner. The appearance of portraits of Stalin on Victory
Day is an insult to the memory of the fallen...
If portraits of Stalin do indeed appear
on the streets of Moscow, we shall do all within our
power to ensure that, simultaneously, they will be
accompanied by other placards, stands, and posters
which tell of the tyrant’s crimes and of his
true place in the history of the Great War for the
Fatherland. We are convinced that hundreds of Muscovites
– the children and grandchildren of the front-line
soldiers, of those to whom Victory really belongs
– will help us in this.
President Dmitry Medvedev's police
reforms will turn into a sham if the public is excluded
from the process and other law enforcement agencies
are left untouched, opposition politicians and human
rights activists said Thursday.
“It is impossible to reform
the Interior Ministry without reforming the prosecutor's
office and the justice system,” Yabloko party
leader Sergei Mitrokhin said at a round table organized
by the Moscow police to discuss the reforms with the
public...
Why is Russia romanticising the
memory of Stalinism, enquires Memorial's founder Arseny
Roginsky, when its defining feature was the use of
terror?
The memory of Stalinism in contemporary Russia raises
problems which are painful and sensitive. There is
a vast amount of pro-Stalinist literature on the bookstalls:
fiction, journalism and pseudo-history. In sociological
surveys, Stalin invariably features among the first
three "most prominent figures of all times".
In the new school history textbooks, Stalinist policy
is interpreted in a spirit of justification.
There are also hundreds of crucial volumes of documents,
scholarly articles and monographs on Stalinism. The
achievements of these historians and archivists is
unquestionable. But if they do have any influence
on the mass consciousness, it is too weak. The means
of disseminating the information have not been there,
and nor in recent years has the political will. However,
the deepest problem lies in the current state of our
national historical memory of Stalinism.
Russia can only move forward in developing
a truly fair, free and democratic society if it puts
to bed once and for all the ghosts of its past. This
was the conclusion from a seminar organised by the
European Liberal Democrat's parliamentary group about
"how the Kremlin thinks and what this means for
Europe" that took place last Wednesday.
Panelists, including ELDR's Russian
party leaders, Sergey Mitrokhin, Yaboloko, and Mikhail
Kasyanov, People's Democratic Union, agreed that the
specter of Stalin's Russia is still hanging over modern
day society and is preventing the country from initiating
the reforms that are needed to facilitate its development,
including strengthening its ties with the European
Union.
Sergey Mitrokhin spoke about telling
Russian President Medvedev the importance of publically
acknowledging that Stalinism is in the past. Mitrokhin
referred to what he called a "hankering for former
times" that is pervading the thoughts of Russian
citizens as the present government fails to deliver
the reforms that are necessary for the country to
proposer in the 21st century.
Russia’s leaders are looking
to the country’s history to find ways to justify
renewed imperial ambitions. While a study of foreign
experience shows that there are numerous ways to for
a country to deal with its totalitarian past, the
problem is complicated in the post-Communist context
because politicians seek to use history as a tool
for their own purposes. The YABLOKO party recently
adopted a resolution dealing with the uses of history
to stimulate democratic transition, but it so far
has had no impact on Russian society.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
