Statement by the Yabloko party, 28.08.2020

The YABLOKO party demands the criminal prosecution of Chelyabinsk environmentalist Vladimir Kazantsev must be immediately stopped.

Vladimir Kazantsev is one of the most famous and effective lawyers in Russia in the field of environmental law, who for many years has been defending the constitutional rights of residents of the Urals to a favourable environment, reliable information about its condition, and environmental safety of citizens.

We associate the prosecution of Kazantsev with his legal participation in such high-profile cases as the case on termination of the dangerous activities of the Tominsky mining and processing plant, which carries environmental risks for the 1.5 million population of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration.

It is not the first year that a big business and the law enforcement affiliated with it but acting on behalf of the state, have been conducting a fight against independent environmentalists and environmental public organisations.

The methods of pressure on environmental activists are becoming increasingly more aggressive, including provocations, intimidation, threats and fabrication of criminal cases.

The persecution of Vladimir Kazantsev is another proof that the right of Russian citizens to environmental safety is not respected by the state today.

We demand immediate release of Vladimir Kazantsev and an investigation into the circumstances of the fabrication of the criminal case against him.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman