St.Petersburg city administration prepares to commit a criminal offense
Statement, 14.09.2018
The St. Petersburg city administration is trying to disrupt a legitimate rally of the united opposition against raising the retirement age scheduled on 16 September, 2018.
The rally got a permission [from the authorities] in accordance with the established procedure, and this approval in accordance with the law and the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 26 June, 2013, can not be changed or canceled.
In spite of this, fearing the protest activity of citizens, Smolny [the city government] tries to send the rally participants to the outskirts of St.Petersburg [instead of the city centre as was indicated in the permission] in Udelny Park, under the fictitious pretext of “ensuring their safety”. Allegedly, it is impossible to hold a rally in the Lenin Square [in the city centre] because of a utility accident. This is a lie: the accident does not affect the pedestrian part of the square – there are no utility networks at all there. However, Smolny tries to intimidate the organisers and future participants of the action, in advance threatening them with mass detentions.
We consider the actions of the St. Petersburg administration as a gross violation of the constitutional rights of citizens to freedom of peaceful assembly, which falls under Article 149 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. By such decisions, the authorities provoke citizens to exercise their rights in unauthorized actions and thereby destabilise the situation in the city and in the country. We consider such actions of those officials who must ensure public safety and guarantee the rights of citizens politically irresponsible and dangerous.
We demand from the administration of St. Petersburg to provide the conditions for holding a rally on the Lenin Square!
Emilia Slabunova, Chair of the YABLOKO party
Mikhail Kasyanov, Chairman of the PARNAS party
Dmitry Gudkov, Chairman of the Party of Changes
Vladimir Ryzhkov, Chairman of the All-Russia Public Movement “The Choice of Russia”
Lev Ponomaryov, Chairman of the “For Human Rights” movement
Gennady Gudkov, President of the Foundation for Support of Democratic Reforms
Sergei Nefyodov, space tester and Hero of Russia
Alexander Ryklin, member of the Political Council of the Solidarity movement
Posted: September 18th, 2018 under Yabloko Against the Government's Pension Reform.