Mr. Thomas Bach,

President, International Olympic Committee

No 1257 of February 17, 2014

Dear Mr.Bach,

Informing you herewith that environmentalist Yevgeny Vitishko imprisoned for three years began a hunger strike, which has been lasting for six days already. A politically motivated arrest of a public figure in the region during the Olympics represents an event discrediting the Olympic Games. A statement made by a spokesperson of the International Olympic Committee that this sentence was associated with “vandalizing a house about three years ago and breaking a suspended sentence” has nothing to do with the social activities of the environmentalist, discredits the International Olympic Committee and demonstrates that your organisation has not even examined the facts related to the prosecution of the environmentalist.

Yevgeny Vitishko is accused of spray painting on a fence built around a country cottage of the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, and this cottage was constructed with numerous environmental violations. In addition, Yevgeny Vitishko has been a consistent critic of the Governor’s anti-ecological policies, Vitishko is famous for his anti-corruption investigation into the activities of the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory. An accusation fabricated by the local authorities that Vitishko was allegedly swearing at a bus stop formed a pretext for replacing probation for a real imprisonment term for him.

It is absolutely obvious that such a tough sentence to the environmentalist has been politically motivated and intends to intimidate the civil society in the region against the background of the Olympics. The statements about the adequacy of the sentence represent either naivety or a deliberate refusal to see the obvious facts and come in conflict with the Russian authorities.

Dear Mr. Bach, I am asking you to personally respond to the politically motivated sentence to the environmentalist Yevgeny Vitishko directly associated with the Olympics.

Sincerely,

Sergei Mitrokhin,

Chairman,

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO