Press Release, 28.02.2020

Yevgeny Artemyev, Chairman of the Kemerovo branch of the Yabloko party, appealed to the Central District Court of Kemerovo. He intends to challenge the unlawful refusal of the city administration to give a permission to a rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov in the city.

The activists of the regional branch of Yabloko note that the practice of unlawful refusals to give permissions to any protest actions in Kemerovo has been going on for several years. Earlier, activists sued the Kemerovo administration, but to no avail. This time, members of the Kemerovo branch of Yabloko intend to go up to the European Court of Human Rights.

It should be noted that the Kemerovo administration refused to give a permission to a rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov scheduled in the city centre on February 29, where activists also planned to speak out against the presidential amendments to the Constitution. The administration sent the activists to the Hyde Park which is located in a field on the territory of the former car market on the outskirts and gave them time from  7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The organisers of the commemorative action refused to go to that site.

On February 29, at 12.00, members of the Kemerovo Yabloko will hold a one-person picket in memory of Boris Nemtsov. One-person pickets do not require any permissions from the authorities. During the picket, activists also intend to discuss amendments to the Constitution with passers-by.

It should be also noted that the authorities also decided to fire the spouse of Yevgeny Artemyev, organiser of the Boris Nemtsov March in Kemerovo and member of the Regional Council of the Kemerovo branch of Yabloko, from her job in a children’s clinic.

Politician and statesman Boris Nemtsov was shot dead on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow on February 27, 2015. Yabloko places political responsibility for the murder on President Vladimir Putin. The Yabloko party annually takes part in the actions in memory of the murdered politician throughout the country. On the fifth anniversary of the murder of politician Boris Nemtsov, members and supporters of Yabloko will come out for commemorative actions in dozens of regions. The Yabloko party annually takes part in actions in memory of the murdered politician throughout the country. On the fifth anniversary of the murder of politician Boris Nemtsov, members and supporters of Yabloko will come out for commemorative actions in dozens of regions.