Press release, 12.08.2016

Today, August 12, police officers have detained YABLOKO’s parliamentary candidates Yulia Galyamina and Mikhail Peskov at the meeting with the mothers of many children, who are holding a hunger strike by the offcie of the ruling United Russia party. An ambulance was called because Mikhail Peskov had heart problems.

A candidate from PARNAS Konstantin Yankauskas and candidate Nikolai Lyaskin’s agent Vitaly Serukanov were detained as well.

Police arrived 50 minutes after the meeting began, 1o minutes later they started detaining people. According to YABLOKO’s parliamentary candidates, police used force, therefore, the detained sustained injuries.

“The police refuses to give us the blanks so that we could report about the offence,” Yulia Galyamina said.

Moreover, police brought no charges against the detained.

According to the law, one needs a prosecution warrant to detain a registered parliamentary candidate or carry any investigative actions.

The mothers are protesting against non-implementation by the government of its obligation on provision of affordable housing to families with many children. Most of the protesters were enlisted for provision of housing 20 years ago, recently the Moscow government has decided to merge two lists: for affordable housing and for housing loans, thus making the list thousands of families longer and reducing their prospects for getting housing at all. YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabunova forwarded an appeal concerning the issue to Prosecutor General Yuri Chayka, Deputy Prime minister Olga Golodets ans Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.