Press Release, 29.02.2016

The YABLOKO party demands from Yury Chaika, Prosecutor General of Russia, that he makes a query to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Karelia so that to get the files on the criminal case raised against YABLOKO members in Karelia, examine the validity of the charges and take steps to end this politically motivated prosecution of YABLOKO members. The statement on the inadmissibility of the use of the law enforcement in the political struggle in Karelia was unanimously adopted by the YABLOKO Congress on 28 February.

“A normal commercial transaction on purchasing municipal property at an open public auction, where not a single law or a by-law was broken, every phase of which was confirmed by the decisions of the civil and the arbitration court, obtained some “criminal intent” by the investigators’ efforts,” runs the statement.

Emilia Slabunova, Chair of YABLOKO, stressed that the case has been accelerated at an unprecedented pace so that to oust these people out of politics, as if before nomination at elections they get a guilty verdict, they would have no right to participate in elections. ”

It should be noted that this week the Minister of Justice of Finland will take a final decision on extradition of Vassily Popov, Karelian YABLOKO leader, to Russia on the request of the Russian authorities. Recently, the Supreme Court of Finland decided to satisfy the request of the Russian authorities.

A criminal case was opened against four Karelian YABLOKO members: Vassily Popov, Anastasia Kravchuk, Olga Zaletskaya and Alexandra Kornilova. The case was opened under Article 159 Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“Fraud”). Charges to Vassily Popov were filed in absentia. The case is examined by the Petrozavodsk City Court.

YABLOKO’s regional branch in Karelia is the most active opponent of the regional authorities. This success forced the Karelian authorities and namely Governor Alexander Khudilainen to fight against their political opponents relying on a single resource – the law enforcement agencies.

The renowned Russian Memorial Human Rights Center has already enlisted YABLOKO activists among those illegally persecuted for political reasons.