The politician spoke against the construction of a giant observation wheel

Press Release, 11.03.2018

Police has detained Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova in Ostankino, Moscow, at the action dedicated to Mother’s Day. The action was organised by the Council of Municipal Deputies of the Ostankino district. The event was dedicated, among other things, to the residents’ protest against the construction of a giant observation wheel in the nature protection zone of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements (VDNKh), only 100 meters from the entrances of residential housing. Sergei Tsukasov, head of the Ostankino municipal district, invited Emilia Slabunova to the action.

In her speech Yabloko Chair congratulated the residents of the district on the holiday and noted that in order for “all – mothers, fathers and children – to live well, there should be no such hideous things that the city and the district authorities have prepared in the Ostankino district on the proposal of the federal authorities”.

Our cities have virtually turned into battlefields, a field of civil war: input construction [of skyscrapers in the yards], bad environmental situation, uncontrolled transport, destruction of historical and culture monuments – all this has become a source of serious conflicts, Slabunova noted. “This happens because the authorities are not going to take citizens’ opinion into account and listen to them,” Emilia Slabunova said. “All feedback channels are blocked, all decisions are made to please the speculative business, which aims to get maximum profit from a space unit. And now there is construction of a 140-meter high observation wheel with plenty of entertainment facilities under the windows of local residents represents a vivid example of how this is done,” she stressed.

Almost immediately after the speech, the police detained Emilia Slabunova “for illegal propaganda.” Before that police had detained organizers of the action: Sergei Tsukasov, Chairman of the Council of Deputies of the Ostankino municipal district, and Oleg Sulakadze, civic activist and anchor of the event for “inadequacy of the rally to the declared topic”. All three were taken to the Ostankinskiy police station.

Emilia Slabunova was released, in four hours (instead of three hours that the law allows to detain a citizen) after giving her explanations to police. However, no protocol of detention was drawn up. Sergei Tsukasov and Oleg Sulakadze were released after protocols on an administrative offense were drawn.

“This indicates that the government planning together with a business a construction neglecting the opinion of the residents does it unlawfully and does not want any publicity for the situation,” Slabunova noted.

“Yabloko” has been supporting local deputies and residents struggling against the construction in the environmental zone of VDNKh. Yabloko’s Centre for Anti-Corruption Policy and Sergei Mitrokhin, head of the Centre and member of the Federal Political Committee of the party, investigated the situation with the construction and filed a complaint to the Federal Anty-Monopoly Service on violation of the law on protection of competition, as well as sent a letter to the Presidential Administration and Public Prosecutor General.