Press release, 12.02.2016

The activists of Moscow YABLOKO Youth conducted a one-person picket in support of Ildar Dadin, the political prisoner who had been charged with three years at a penal colony under Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code for repeatedly breaking Russia’s protest laws. Dadin became the first politcal prisoner to be charged under this Article. The action took place outside the State Duma and the activists demanded that Article 212.1 must be abolished.

However, the activists of the NOD and SERB pro-Putin movements known for conducting provocations at the political opposition events tried to disrupt the picket. They started their own action against the opposition and surrounded the State Duma building. The pro-Putin activists were standing in 50 meters from each other with placards and flags. By law, a one-person picket does not require authorisation on behalf of the authorities and picketers can stand at no less than 50 meters distance from each other. So, YABLOKO’s activists had to move to Tverskaya street [close to the State Duma building] to hold the action. Igor Beketov, a well-known provoker, who had organised the attack on 76-year-old activist Vladimir Ionov, also came to observe the picket.

“We claim that Article 212.1 violates the Constitution since a person can not be convicted of committing one and the same act twice,” said Maria Yefimova, the organiser of the action. If the Article is abolished, Ildar Dadin will be released automatically.

Earlier Moscow YABLOKO Youth adopted a statement in support of Ildar Dadin. “We claim that Ildar Dadin is absolutely innocent. The court should have offered apologies for keeping him under house arrest and acquit him of all the charges. But instead the court violated the Constitution by breaking the rights for freedom of speech and assembly. Moreover, the article with which the activist was charged is anticonstitutional since a person cannot be brought to responsibility for one and the same violation twice,” the statement says.

The Regional Council of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO took part in an action in support of Ildar Dadin as well.

Pro-Putin activists

Pro-Putin activists

Pro-Putin activists