Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: A Celebration of Human Body and Spirit or Complicity in Crimes?

North Caucasus Environmental Watch*. Open Letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), February 11, 2013

…A unique environment is being damaged irreparably over a large area. According to our information, functionality of approximately 2000 hectares of the Greater Sochi had been radically changed; radical land expropriation, destruction of natural landscapes and appearance of anthropogenic landscapes have taken place. First of all, this concerns the Mzimta river valley (deforestation) in the area of construction of a combined railroad and highway Adler – Alpinka Service and Imeretinskaya valley, where substantial agricultural lands and wetlands were replaced by compensation housing construction and by transportation infrastructure and storage facilities. Some of the territories of the Western Caucasus (UNESCO World Heritage site) were removed from World Heritage protection, natural heritage sites are being destroyed, and crushed-stone quarries are mined in the reserve areas of the national park. That is, diverse ecosystems were damaged practically irreparably. New threats of landslides, erosion, avalanches, and mudslide have appeared on the slopes of mountain ridge Aibga as a result of continuing deforestation and construction of ski trails, chair lifts and other objects. Disappearance of specific natural habitats, even when there are analogous remote natural habitats, of numerous plant and animal species in Sochi is reaching critical levels and is leading to local extinction of the species, which, in its turn, is leading to impoverishment of biodiversity. This is a consequence of the inability of the affected species to migrate across regions unfit for their survival…

* NCW headed by Green Russia local leaders

YABLOKO demands actions from the Krasnoyarsk government on the Boguchanskaya Hydroelectric Power Station

Plotine.net, December 21, 2012.

On December 20, representatives of non-parliamentary parties spoke to the deputies of the Krasnoyarsk Region Legislative Assembly. Oksana Demchenko, Chair of the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of YABLOKO, urged the lawmakers to oblige the owners of the Boguchanskaya Hydroelectric Power Station to evaluate and compensate for the damage caused to the environment and local people, as well as conduct an environmental assessment of their further development of the Lower Angara River area.. Oksana Demchenko also recalled that six weeks ago, the federal Political Council of the YABLOKO party sent a special message* to the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk region, noting disturbing examples of negligence of the standards of social and environmental responsibility in the Lower Angara area…

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

We demand that prosecution of Suren Gazaryan be stopped

Statement* by the YABLOKO party, December 21, 2012.

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO expresses a categorical protest against the prosecution of Suren Gazaryan and putting him on the federal wanted list. Suren Gazaryan is a well-known environmentalist, an organizer of public actions against outrageous environmental violations in the Krasnodar region, the initiator of the resonance investigations of unlawful construction of permanent facilities in the natural reserves, Gazaryan plays an important role in the socio-political life of the region and criminal prosecution of Gazaryan represents nothing but a revenge of the authorities to him for his civil and political activity… Considering the prosecution of Suren Gazaryan politically motivated, the YABLOKO party demands from Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, to check the actions of his subordinates in the Krasnodar region who have been fabricating the second criminal case against Suren Gazaryan on absolutely fictitious grounds. YABLOKO calls on all opposition forces, all the honest people to switch into the campaign in defence of Suren Gazaryan. Let us not allow the authorities to imprison him!

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

The authorities want to put YABLOKO’s candidate to the Mayor of Krymsk into prison

Press Release, November 23, 2012.

Yugeny Vitishko*, a renowned environmentalist and civil rights activist, member of the Regional Council of the Krasnodar branch of YABLOKO and member of the North Caucasus Environmental Watch, is running for the post of head of the Krymsk District in South Russia (the district which suffered from a large flood this summer) from the YABLOKO party. The elections will be held on December 9. This summer, Vitishko was sentenced due to fraudulent evidence to three years probation for the «damage to the fence» around the Governor Tkachyov’s cottage. The lands under the cottage and the fensed beach nearby still registered as public are virtually in the Governor’s property. Now new charges are invented so that to withdraw a strong candidate from the election campaign. The authorities threaten to replace a suspended sentence by a real imprisonment…

* one of the local Green Russia’ leaders

Do not write on a non-existing fence

Gogol.tv, November 19, 2012

Suren Ghazaryan*, PhD, is a speleologist and biologist studying bats in the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Kabardino-Balkar Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Northern Caucasus Environmental Watch non-governmental prganisation. His and Yegeny Vitishko’s participation in the public campaign against the seizure of forest and coastline at the Black Sea (near the village of Dzhubga) by Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachyo resulted in criminal prosecution against Ghazaryan and Vitishko and three years of a suspended sentence for the «damage to property» («This is our forest», «Alexander is a thief!» was written on the fence around the Governor’s cottage). However, earlier environmentalists had got several answers from the Public Prosecutor’s Office where the latter had been denying the existence of any fence around the Governor’s cottage located at unlawfully seized public lands…

* one of the local leaders of Green Russia fraction

Police are trying to disrupt the meeting of Sergei Mitrokhin and YABLOKO’s candidates for the forthcoming elections with the residents of Ilsky village

Press Release, September 28, 2012.

A meeting of YABLOKO’s candidates* to run in the regional and local elections (the voting day on October 14) with the residents of the Ilsky village, the Krasnodar Territory, is taking place now. According to YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin, provocateurs from the local administration and the police are trying to disrupt the meeting. The main issue of the meeting is the discussion of the situation around environmentally unfriendly Ilsky refinery, which is a factor of serious pollution in the area. Expansion of the plant and violation of environmental standards have led to a sharp increase of morbidity in the area and growth of the death rate. All this provokes fair indignation of the local population. The residents of the area demand that unlawful expansion of refinery should be stopped.

*members of Green Russia fraction

YABLOKO’s congress appealed UNESCO in view of endangered «The Western Caucasus» World Natural Heritage Site

Press Release, June 18, 2012.

On June 17, the 17th Congress of the YABLOKO party unanimously adopted an appeal On the threat of the destruction of unique natural complexes of the World Natural Heritage Site «The Western Caucasus». The appeal is addressed to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that will meet for a session in St.Petersburg in the end of June. The draft appeal was submitted to the Congress by Andrei Rudomakha, head of the Krasnodar branch of YABLOKO and Sergei Mitrokhin, YABLOKO Chairman. YABLOKO called the World Heritage Committee to pay special attention to the critical situation in the field of preservation of World Natural Heritage Site «The Western Caucasus»…

On the creation of a pro-Putin pseudo-green party

Statement by the Green Russia faction of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO, February 16, 2012.

On February 12, 2012, Russia’s environmental movement The Green decided to once again form an environmental party. Its first public action was the decision to support Vladimir Putin’s candidacy at the presidential elections in Russia. Also prior to its self-liquidation this party had already declared its support to Vladimir Putin. This party had also supported the decision to import foreign radioactive waste into Russia. Obviously, the revival of the party is aiming at supporting the government in their fight against ecologists, rather than change of anti-ecological policies in Russia. The newly released government’s report «On the Situation with Environmental Protection in the Russian Federation in 2010» confirms that the quality of environment in Russia has been deteriorating, and respectful international ratings give Russia one of the lowest ratings in the world as of the trends of its environmental changes…

Eugeny Vitishko*, candidate to the State Duma from the YABLOKO party, arrested in Tuapse

Press Release, October 30, 2011

Eugeny Vitishko, candidate to the State Duma from the YABLOKO party and leader of the Tuapse branch of YABLOKO, and Eugenia Chirikova, leader of the Movement in Defence of Khimki Forest, were detained in Tuapse during environmental action on November 30. Chirikova has been released by now. YABLOKO considers the detention unlawful and demands immediate release of Eugeny Vitishko…

*member of Green Russia fraction

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin participated in the environmental rally in Volgograd

Press Release, September 1, 2011

On August 31 YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin took part in an environmental rally organised by the Volgograd branch of YABLOKO. The action was held under the slogan «Let’s Return Land and Water to People”. According to Galina Boldyreva*, Chair of the regional branch of YABLOKO, people need protection from those who grab coasts of rivers and water reservoirs. During picketing YABLOKO’s activists distributed leaflets explaining what laws were violated by raiders and also distributed postcards in protection of the Volga-Akhtuba flood from drying…

*chair of local Green Russia fraction

Rally against launching of the Tuapse bulk terminal by Eurochem company gathered over two thousand people

Press Release, June 28, 2011

On June 26, a rally against launching of chemical shipments terminal in Tuapse owned by the Eurochem company was conducted in the centre of the city. The action was organised by the North Caucasus Environmental Watch on and YABLOKO’s Green Russia faction. Despite the interaction from the administration of the Tuapse district and the Krasnodar Territory, the rally brought together over two thousand inhabitants of the city…

1,500 people came to environmental rally in Tuapse

Press Release, April 9, 2011.

…YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin also made a speech at the rally*. “I have an impression now that the authorities decided to divide the Black Sea coast into several zones: one, where Eurochim, Rosneft and other oligarchic structures earn their profits at the expense of health of local residents, and the second zone for construction of cottages and palaces for bureaucrats and oligarchs,” Mitrokhin said. He promised to send an address to President Medvedev demanding to prohibit the launch of the terminal…

*organized by Green Russia fraction

Press conference “Black Sea Palaces and Their Hosts”

Press Release, March 9, 2011.

Press-conference of the ecologists who served their imprisonment sentences in Tuapse prison for conducting a public inspection of the country cottage of Governor of Kransodar Area Alexander Tkacyov will be held in YABLOKO’s office tomorrow on March 10. “The Krasnodar prisoners of conscience” – Eugeny Vitushko*, leader of the Tuapse YABLOKO and Suren Gazaryan*, member of YABLOKO, will tell about the unlawful construction of a recreation complex for Governor Tkachoyv in the relict pin forest protected by the state, as well as other complexes and palaces unlawfully constructed at the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Area…

* local Green Russia fraction leader

YABLOKO protests against construction of a cement plant by the nature reserve

Press Release, February 21, 2011.

On February 19, a picket* against construction of cement plant was held in the city of Vinyov. The plant is owned by Elena Baturina, the wife of Moscow ex-mayor Yuri Luzkkov. The group of local civil activists was supported by the YABLOKO party. The picket took place despite severe frosts and counteraction of the local authorities. Another archaeological and historical monument of the 12th century Shchuchye Town is also located at the future construction site. To date, 99 per cent of the local residents put their signatures against the construction…

*organized by local Green Russia fraction

Environmental disaster at construction of the Olympic facilities in Sochi: Russian Railways poisoned the Dzykhra river in the Sochi National Park

Press Release, January 17, 2011

The YABLOKO party continues its monitoring of the environmental situation at the Black Sea coast, at construction of the Olympic facilities in Sochi. Since the public inspection of Sochi construction sites conducted by Sergei Mitrokhin jointly with activists from the North Caucasus Environmental Watch held in October 2010, the ecological situation has deteriorated. According to Suren Ghazaryan*, activist of the YABLOKO party and the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus, catastrophic pollution of the Drykhra river and its water storage reservoir began on January 8, 2011. The pollution led to mass death of fish in the river…

*local Green Russia leader

Pollution of Lake Baikal is a crime!

Statement* by the Chair of the YABLOKO party, January 13, 2011

A year ago, on January 13, 2010, Chair of the Russian government Vladimir Putin issued a decree on resuming of functioning of the Baikal Pulp Plant. The past year demonstrated that the work of the pulp plant was associated with constant violation of the pollution norms. Instead of abrogation of this decision the Government obviously is going to meet the commercial interests of manufacturers of pulp and is planning under faked pretexts to even revise these norms! Pollution of Lake Baikal is a crime not only against the present generations, but also future generations and not only those of Russia, but the entire world. We demand that functioning of the Baikal Pulp Plant should be immediately stopped!

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

The Politics and Business of Going Green

By Roland Oliphant

The Moscow Times, January 12, 2011

This year will see increasingly politicized environmental movements sprouting up around local issues, and an alliance between green groups and businessmen to open up Russia’s potential in renewable energy — provided there are no more fires… Protesters failed to close the Baikal paper mill and a government-appointed commission gave the Khimki highway project the go ahead in December. But the public outcry over both “put regional environmental problems on the federal agenda,” said Alexei Yablokov, who heads the Yabloko party’s green wing. That puts single-issue pressure groups in the peculiar position of being disillusioned with their current tactics, but in a strong position to open a new front: the overtly political. “We’re expecting a strengthening and greater politicization of the green movement in 2011,” Yablokov said in e-mailed comments. “Groups that previously avoided politics have come to understand that, without political decisions, nothing gets done, laws don’t work”…

Krasnodar: police breaks a permitted demonstration, environmentalists detained

Press Release, December 12, 2010

…About 300 people participated in the demonstration* under YABLOKO’s flags. The demonstrators held slogans “Utrish should live!” “Yes to the Utrish natural reserve!” “Utirish is a world heritage!” “President’s place is in the Kremlin, leave Utrish for the country!” However, the police broke the peaceful demonstration considering the demonstration unlawful despite of the fact that YABLOKO had timely notified the administration of the action. Later during a rally the police detained members of YABLOKO’s Green Russia faction Andrei Rudomakha and Suren Gazaryan and environmental activists Dmitry Shevchenko and Dmitry Shabalin. The detention was conducted with grave violations of the law “On Police”, with the use of physical force and special means [of suppression]…

*organized by Green Russia fraction

On political reprisals in Krasnodar

Statement by the YABLOKO party, December 12, 2010

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO condemns unlawful actions by the police in breaking a peaceful demonstration in protection of nature which took place in Krasnodar on December 12, the Russian Constitution Day. On the order of Administration of the Krasnodar Area the police detained members of [YABLOKO’s] Green Russia faction Andrei Rudomakha and Suren Gazaryan and environmental activists Dmitry Shevchenko and Dmitry Shabalin. The detention was conducted with grave violations of the law “On Police”, with the use of physical force and special means [of suppression]. Shevchenko and Gazaryan were unlawfully detained in the police department of Krasnodar for three hours until arrival of a lawyer and YABLOKO’s leader there. All this time Gazaryan was unlawfully held in handcuffs. Earlier on December 5, Rudomakha and Gazaryan had been also unlawfully detained by police during a peaceful march for protection of the Utrish [natural reserve]…

Russia needs deeds, not words, to resolve environmental problems

Statement* by the YABLOKO party, December 9, 2010

In his Address to the Federal Assembly Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed that the quality of the environment should become one of the key parameters for socio-economic development. Unfortunately, the President’s words are contradict by the ongoing environmentally unsound policies of the Russian state: the law on the state budget signed by the President envisaged expenditure on environmental protection that is 100 times less than is the case in countries, which are really concerned about the environment…

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

Ecologist Andrei Rudomakha* becomes laureate of The Best Civil Action contest

Press Release, December 8, 2010

Head of Ecological Watch in the Northern Caucasus and member of the YABLOKO party Andrei Rudomakha was chosen a winner of The Best Civil Action contest. The ecologist was awarded the prize by the jury for organisation of the public campaign for protection of the Utrish natural reserve. The contest was organised by the Law and Justice foundation. From December 2009 through to April 2010 four waves of actions in protection of Utrish were conducted. The actions embraced over 70 cities in Russia and Ukraine. In Russia the actions were held from Kaliningrad in the West to Khabarovsk in the East, Murmansk in the North and Sochi and Vladikavkaz in the South…

*chair of local Green Russia fraction

Police detained YABLOKO’s activists during the action in defence of the national park

Press Release, December 5, 2010

On December 5, an unsanctioned march against elimination by the authorities of the Utrish national park took place in Krasnodar. The General Affairs Department of Presidential Administration plans to build a recreation complex in the national park.The police detained YABLOKO’s activist Andrei Rudomakha*, organizer of the march in defence of the Utrish national park and head of the Ecological Watch in the Northern Caucasus, and YABLOKO’s activist Suren Gazaryan*.The activists were taken to the medical expertise first under the pretext that they were drunk. However, the expertise did not confirm this. Despite of this both the activists had to spend a night in the police department. Gazaryan is facing 15 days of arrest for “non-obeying the lawful demands”. Rudomakha is accused of organizing an unsanctioned action…

* local Green Russia fraction leaders

The Eurasia Canal will threat Russia’s national security

Statement* by the YABLOKO party, December 3, 2010

Recently, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev announced that «technical and economic evaluation of the project envisaging construction of a new navigation canal between the Caspian Sea and the Azov and Black Sea basin» is under way. The Kremlin has decided to reanimate the project of the Kuma-Manych waterway which was abolished in Stalin’s time. It is obvious that 450 — 600 billion rubles which will be allotted for construction of a Eurasia canal will lead to the following consequences…

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

Sergei Mitrokhin: YABLOKO’s union with the greens is strategic

A short version of Sergei Mitrokhin’s speech at the 3rd Conference of the Green Russia faction, November 23, 2010.

I believe that the union we concluded long ago between YABLOKO and Green Russia is very important. I was an active advocate of such a union. Together we have created virtually the only political organisation in the country which has been engaged in comprehensive solution of environmental problems. No one in this country, except us, has ever raised the issues of environmental policy as such, and this is a tragedy of our country. And the worst here is that the government does not deal with these problems either. The system of environmental protection has been destroyed in several months after Putin came to power, and you were the political force which strongly opposed this. The first steps we have done separately, but then we joined our efforts and out voices protesting against the policy which was carried out then, or rather, a rejection of any policy in this field…

The Environment and Politics in Russia

by Alexei Yablokov*

Russian Analytical Digest, 79/10

Russia faces serious ecological challenges, which are having adverse effects on both the natural environment and the health of the population, demonstrated by its lower than average life expectancy for a developed country. The problems are exacerbated by the state authorities’ policy of “de-environmentalism” or “de-ecologization”, whereby environmental costs are deemed acceptable in the quest for economic gains. A significant change in mindset towards the environment is required in both the power-structure and wider society in order to arrest the trend of environmental neglect in Russia. The Consequences of Environmental Neglect Every year in Russia, approximately 35,000 people die as a result of car accidents, 40,000 from alcohol poisoning and 490,000 from environmental-related diseases (data taken from WTO in 2004). Furthermore, experts claim that about half of Russia’s 180,000 miscarriages per annum are due to environmental causes…

Forschungsstelle Osteuropa, Bremen, Center for Security Studies, Zurich, and Research Centre for East European Studies, http://www.res.ethz.ch/analysis/rad/

*chair, Green Russia fraction

March in Support of St.Petersburg gathered about 3,000 participants

Press Release, October 11, 2010.

The fourth March in Support of St.Petersburg took place in St.Petersburg on October 9. According to the organizers, about 3,000 people came to this action which was conducted in a form of rally-concert. The action was initiated by Zhivoi Gorog (Living City) movement, Civil Initiatives Movement, St.Petersburg YABLOKO* and members of St.Petersburg branch of the Society for Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage (VOOPIiK). Other participants of the action were St.Petersburg Youth YABLOKO, the Federation of Social Youth, United People’s Front, the Women Voters’ League, environmental human rights centre Bellona, EKOM, the Okhta Curve, Let Us Preserve Yuntolovo, For the Protection of the Vassiliyevsky Island, Bashne.Net, Solidarity, Defence, Russian People’s Democratic Union, St.Petersburg Human Rights Council, Association of Small and Medium Businesses, different initiative groups and many other. The key topic was the protest against building of the Okhta Centre which will spoil the historical environment of the city. The participants also called to preserve the historical centre of St.Petersburg and protect parks and gardens in the city. Many participants spoke about the need to return elections of St.Petersburg Governor and called the present Governor Valentina Matviyenko to resign…

* with many Green Russia members

YABLOKO’s activists cleaned the territory by the Baraus Lake near Chelyabinsk

Press Release, September 20, 2010.

On September 19 YABLOKO’s activists* cleaned the territory by the Baraus Lake situated in the Ilmen national park in the Chelyabinsk region. Two large KAMAZ trucks took the dump from the lake. A large territory along the coast was cleaned from the dump…

*mostly Green Russia fraction memebrs

 

Radiological situation in Russia should be taken under control

Statement* by YABLOKO’s Chairman, August 13, 2010.

The YABLOKO Party has repeatedly drawn attention to the unacceptable negligence by the Russian authorities to ensuring of environmental safety of the population. Today we once again are drawing the attention of the authorities and the citizens to the danger of possible additional radiation exposure caused by the pyrogenic spread of radionuclides. Forest fires in Russia have already reached the Bryansk forests contaminated by Chernobyl’s fallout, and the forests around the city of Ozersk in the Chelyabinsk region polluted by the plutonium productions…

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

 

Weapons of mass destruction have no place on the planet!

Statement* by the YABLOKO party, August 6, 2010.

The memory of the dozens of thousands people killed by the nuclear tornado in those August days of 1945 calls for our increased efforts so that to achieve as soon as possible complete prohibition of all forms of weapons of mass destruction. The end of the Cold War and fabulous material and human resources wasted by the mankind for a dangerous confrontation set a new challenge for the world: finding other methods and techniques for provision of national security that would not involve elimination of people. In the 21st century the global security, including national security systems of the states of the globe, represents above all the need to address common human and global problems of climate change, chemical and biological pollution and other negative effects of modern civilization…

*prepared by Green Russia fraction

A mass-scale rally for protection of the environment took place in Tuapse

Press Release, July 19, 2010.

From 2 to 3 thousand people, according to different estimates, gathered for a rally in protection of environment in Tuapse (a city on the Black Sea) on July 18. The rally was organised by an initiative group headed by coordinator of the Environmental Watch in the North Caucasus and member of the YABLOKO party Andrei Rudomakha*. The participants of the rally demanded to conduct a referendum on construction of a terminal for the EuroChem chemical company in the Tuapse port, as well as stop oil extraction at the Black Sea shelf. A broad-scale campaign launched by the local authorities and targeted at disruption of the rally was held on the threshold of the public action…

*chair of local Green Russia fraction

The police finally returned impounded soft and hardware to the Baikal Ecological Wave

Press Release, July 15, 2010.

The YABLOKO congratulates* the staff of the Baikal Ecological Wave who managed to prove that impounding of computers and software from their office was unlawful. The computers are returned, and the Irkutsk police brought their apologizes to the ecologists. During the investigation it was confirmed (however, this was obvious from the beginning): the Baikal Ecological Weave used only licensed software…

*statement was prepared by Green Russia fraction

Destruction of nature has been accelerating

Statement* by the YABLOKO party. June 4, 2010

The biosphere of our planet has not improved for the past year. We have been facing dangerous ongoing climate change, deterioration of the condition of the world ocean, shrinking biodiversity, disappearance of the rain forests, aging nuclear power stations and proliferation of nuclear weapons threaten us with another Chernobyl, chemical contamination and the spread of GMOs. Influential international bodies – the G-8 and the G-20, the World Bank, the European and the Asian Banks of Reconstruction and Development — declaring the importance of preserving the planet’s ecosystems in words, virtually support quick-profit technologies detrimental on nature. Lack of stringent environmental control over implementation of commercial projects at the national and the international level leads to a terrible disasters like that we observe in the Gulf of Mexico…

* prepared by Green Russia fraction

YABLOKO’s leader to visit Nizhni Novgorod

Press Release. June 4, 2010

On Saturday, June 5, YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin will visit Nizhni Novgorod. As part of his mission, Mitrokhin and political scientists and businessmen from Nizhny Novgorod will take part in a roundtable discussion «Environmental and political situation in Russia. The upcoming elections in autumn 2010”. The event will be held at the Higher School of Economics from 09:30 to 10:40. Then Sergei Mitrokhin, will participate in a press conference for regional journalists devoted to the elections. The press conference will take place in the Interfax office (beginning at 11:00). Then YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin and Chair YABLOKO’s Green Russia faction Acad. Alexei Yablokov will conduct a picket against the raising of the water level in the Cheboksary reservoir. Members of the environmental organization Dront will also participate in the picket…

YABLOKO’s rally for protection of the Lake Baikal conducted in Ulan-Ude

Press Release, March 27, 2010

On March 27, a mass rally in protection of the Lake Baikal took place in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia. The rally was organised by YABLOKO’s branch in Buryatia* and ecological organisations. About 500 people came to the rally. The participants of the rally demanded to abrogate the Resolution of the Government of the RF No 1 on launching the Baikal Pulp Plant. The rally called the authorities to develop tourism in the area which would create new jobs for the citizens of Baikalsk, rather than creating jobs at environmentally unfriendly enterprise…

*Green Russia fraction

OMON and road police do not let the participants of the motor race against construction of a nuclear power station in the Nizhy Novgorod region to enter Moscow

Press Release. March 18, 2010

Special police forces (OMON) and road police have been blocking the column of the motor race against construction of a nuclear power station in the Nizhy Novgorod region at the Moscow Circular Road for 40 minutes already. YABLOKO’s activists* and YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin are arrested. Some cars the police left on the road, which led to a traffic jam. The participants of the race were stopped at the Moscow Circular Road for checking of their documents. However later a police official stated that they were stopped “because of such unsanctioned event”. Special police forces arrived probably to assist the road police in checking the documents.

*incl. several Green Russia members

Officials offer apology to YABLOKO’s ecologist

Press Release. March 10, 2010

Officials from Administration of the Lomonosovsky District of the Leningrad region offered their apology to Alexander Senotrusov, deputy head of YABLOKO’s Green faction, for their intention to dismiss him from school where he had been working as a teacher and their suspension of functioning of a children’s club where he also worked. Persecutions against YABLOKO’s activist began after his interview to the NTV television channel. On March 7, NTV released a piece devoted to the practices of unlawful construction of cottages in the natural reserves. Alexander Senotrusov told the journalists about unlawful construction at the Lebyazhiye village situated on Gulf of Finland shore. After this the district administration began persecutions against the teacher. Local bureaucrats were going to dismiss Alexander Senotrusov as redundant and also cut off electricity in the children’s club where he worked.

YABLOKO’s action in protection of Utrish and Baikal

Press Release. February 25, 2010

A rally in protection of the Utrish national reserve park and the Baikal Lake took place in the centre of Krasnodar on February 20. The rally was organised by YABLOKO’s activist Andrei Rudomakha*. After the rally the participants marched along the main street of the city and held a second rally at the end of the march.

About 300 – 350 people took part in the action.

* chair of the local Green Russia division.

 

 

 

02/03/2013