Press release, August 29, 2013

Sergei Mitrokhin, candidate for the Mayor of Moscow, filed to complaints to the Moscow Electoral Commission on violations committed by Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin during the election campaign: Press Service of the Acting Mayor works in the election campaign of the candidate and releases election videos (one of which incites xenophobia) in the Internet that are not paid from a special electoral account as envisaged by law. In addition Mitrokhin demanded from the Investigative Committee to file a criminal case for Sobyanin’s releasing a xenophobic video and institute criminal proceedings in accordance with Article 282 of the Criminal Code.

The Moscow City Charter defines the duties of the Mayor, however, Sergei Sobyanin has been engaged in the activities that are not directly related to his official powers, but have been held within the framework of his election campaign.

Thus, the Press Service of the Mayor reported on 30 actions (from August 9 through to August 20) involving Sobyanin and only six of them were directly related to his implementation of his mayoral duties.

Press releases by the Mayor’s Press Service are perceived by Moscow mass media as guidance for action. In fact, every such event should be covered by the Moscow media.

In accordance with Article 5.45 of the Administrative Violations Code, any usage by a candidate holding a government post of the advantages of their post constitutes an administrative offense, runs the complaint. Proceeding from this Sergei Mitrokhin asks to bring Sergei Sobyanin to administrative responsibility.

The second complaint deals with the web-site http://tolkonesobyanin.ru/ and its YouTube channel. The authors of the videos call to vote against Sobyanin on behalf of shabby looking migrant workers, corrupted policemen, alcoholics, etc., as Sobyanin acts against illegal workers and corruption. The videos aim to incite negative feelings to ugly looking migrant workers and gratitude to Sergei Sobyanin that he has allegedly ‘solved the problem’ of illegal migration.

YABLOKO lawyers believe that these materials contain signs of propaganda but are not paid for from the election fund of candidate Sobyanin. In addition, the videos incite social and ethnic strife. In his blog, Sergei Mitrokhin writes about the same kind of campaigning in 2005 Moscow parliamentary elections by the Rodina (Motherhood) party. Rodina’s list was withdrawn from election for such nationalistic propaganda.

“The headquarters of the Acting Mayor has been trying to get into the Internet playing on the mean xenophobic feelings,” Mitrokhin wrote in his blog.

However, Mitrokhin does not demand to remove the Acting Mayor from the race, “I think that is not right to remove the competitors, they should be beaten in the competition”. However, Mitrokhin asks the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Electoral Commission to “stop extremist activities and bring the perpetrators to justice”. In addition, Mitrokhin sent a statement about the crime to the Investigative Committee requiring to rise a criminal case for incitement of interethnic hatred.

“The story of the xenophobic video demonstrates that the current government is interested in maintaining illegal migration of such a scope not only financially (through illegal payments from the employers of illegal immigrants), but also politically. The authorities regards xenophobic emotions as a resource for mobilization of public support. This means that we will not see a solution of migration problem under Sobyanin. This is obvious today,” Sergei Mitrokhin writes in his blog.