Press Release, 14.05.2016

Vladimir Lukin, one the founder of the YABLOKO party and Russia’s Ombudsman for Human Rights in 2004-2014, resumed his membership in the party. According with the requirements of the Russian law ombudsmen should be non-partisan. Vladimir Lukin stated his wish to resume his membership in YABLOKO at today’s conference of the Moscow branch of the party. The conference voted unanimously for resuming his membership.

In 2004 Lukin, who served as First Deputy Chairman of the YABLOKO party, became Ombudsman for Human Rights in Russia. He held this post for two terms, until 2014, and was highly praised by human rights activists for his superb performance. “However, as for my views, I have never parted with YABLOKO,” Lukin said in his speech to conference delegates.

“I have been thinking for some time whether I should return back to politics, but things in the country are developing in such a way that want to be useful. So I decided to join the party where I have been since its foundation in 1993,” Lukin noted.

Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of YABLOKO’s Federal Political Committee, said that Lukin began discussing with him the question of his return two years ago, and they decided to choose for the best moment for this, so that to have the greatest response in the society.

One of the delegates asked Vladimir Lukin of his attitude to President Putin, with whom Lukin had to work for many years. “I treat him as President, who heads the conservative and authoritarian regime in our country”, Lukin answered.

Another delegate requested Lukin to express his position on the Crimea, Vladimir Lukin said that he considers this case as violation of international law.

The conference of the Moscow YABLOKO elected the governing bodies of the largest branch of YABLOKO. Sergei Mitrokhin was re-elected Chair for another two years by a majority of the votes. The conference also elected four Deputy Chairs of the branch: Andrei Babushikin, human rights defender and member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, political scientists Ivan Bolshakov and Galina Mikhaleva and Moscow municipal deputy Grigory Semyonov. The conference also elected members of the Regional Council: Valery Borschyov, Alexander Gnezdilov, Kirill Goncharov, Nikolai Kavkazsky, Marina Karavayeva, Mikhail Menshikov, Tatyana Ovcharenko, Olga Radayeva, Elena Rusakova, Svetlana Savitskaya, Yury Shein, Olga Vlasova