Statement by the YABLOKO party, 03.02.2014

The YABLOKO party expresses its protest against the arrest of Evgeny Vitishko, civil society activist and well-known environmentalist of the Krasnodar Territory. This morning he has been arrested when leaving the Tuapse branch of the Penitentiary Inspection of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Krasnodar Territory on suspicion of a petty theft. Later a new ridiculous accusation of swearing at a bus stop was brought against him. Court sentenced Vitishko to 15 days of arrest.

The trial was held in the worst Stalinist traditions of justice: neither Vitishko’s lawyer, nor witnesses who were willing to testify in his defense were allowed into the court room. The decision on arrest of the environmentalist was made within ten minutes only.

The arrest of Vitishko can not be treated otherwise than another wave of reprisals against civil society activists and anyone who does not agree with the policies of Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachyov. There is no doubt that the reprisals deployed on the eve of the Olympics so that to “clean up” political and civic activism.

Earlier Evgeny Vitishko was convicted of so-called case of the “damage to a fence” in the country cottage of Krasnodar Governor Alexander Tkachyov. On December 20, the Tuapse Court changed a suspended sentence [for Vitishko] for three years of imprisonment. The complaint on this case will be examined on February 22, 2014. Therefor, today’s decision by the court will become another argument, so that the environmentalist will get a real imprisonment term when the appeal is examined.

YABLOKO is urging the Krasnodar authorities to stop the wave of reprisals unleashed against the civil society in the region. We demand that the federal government must pay attention to the arbitrary rule in the Krasnodar region, which causes irreparable reputational damage to the forthcoming Olympic Games.

Sergei Mitrokhin,

Chair of the YABLOKO party