The Yabloko party took part in the march and rally on the anniversary of the democrats’ victory over the attempted coup d’etat  in 1991

Press Release, 22.08.2018

Today, on Russia’s Flag Day, the leaders and activists of the Yabloko party took part in the action dedicated to the anniversary of the democrats’ victory over attempted coup d’etat organised in 1991 by the so-called State Emergency Committee that attempted to put an end to perestroika and return Russia back to the Soviet past. The participants of the action demonstrated from the Gorbaty Bridge by the Russian Government’s building to the monument to the defenders of democracy located at the intersection of Novy Arbat and the Garden Ring, where the meeting was held.

Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova recalled that 100 years ago the Bolsheviks banned the use of the Russian tricolor flag as a national flag.

“It was returned to us 27 years ago as a symbol of the victory of democracy over the heirs of the Bolsheviks,” the party Chair noted.  “But, unfortunately, the victory was not final: [we are witnessing now the government’s] reprisals against political opponents, eviction of the St. Petersburg branch of the Memorial human rights society from its office, prolongation of the arrest for Yury Dmitriyev [head the Karelian branch of the Memorial society] until October, Oyub Titiev [head of the Chechen branch of Memorial] is kept behind the bars, they are firing people from jobs and arresting them for their putting ‘likes’ in the social media,  they fabricate criminal cases like the [recent] case of the New Greatness Group [of young people discussing politics but accused in extremism], [Ukrainian film director Oleg] Sentsov has been on hunger strike over a hundred days already [demanding from the Russian authorities to release Ukrainian political prisoners kept in Russian prisons].”

Slabunova also stressed that Russia remained virtually without allies or friends in the international community, dozens of thousands of tons of food-stuffs were destroyed [as a measure of the Russian government’s self-sancions – a ban on imports] in the situation when millions of people live below the poverty line.

“All this is demonstrates that neo-Bolsheviks are in power today, but they do not use tanks [in the streets] like 27 years ago, but as radiation they are trying to destroy democracy,” Emilia Slabunova said at the rally.

However, the politician believes, that 1991 was a point of no return to Bolshevism and tyranny in Russia. “All of us together with the efforts of the civil society of Russia will do everything to ensure that we experience not so much pain on Russia’s Flag Day, but pride in the foreign policies of our country, a large number of Russia’s friends and partners, high living standards of our people and respect for all human rights,” Yabloko Chair concluded.

The action was organised by the All-Russian movement “For Human Rights”. The Yabloko party has been taking part in the action annually.