From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 4/8/2006 3:27 PM
5.4.2006 13:18 MSK
Police violate picketing legislation again
Maria Smirnova
Maria Smirnova
RUSSIA, Moscow. On April 3rd, in Moscow, police detained the organizers of a series of pickets near the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MID). The picketers were protesting against the lack of support from MID for citizens of Russia arrested in Minsk, the arbitrariness of the law-enforcement agencies of Belarus, and the arrests and beatings of participants in peaceful protest actions in Minsk.

In the opinion of the organizers of the action, the government of Russia actually supports the repressive policies of the Belarussian authorities. They demanded that the prisoners being held in Belarus, Aleksandr Podrabinek, Oleg Kozlovsky, Edward Glezin, Sergey Baranov, Aleksandr Stepanov, as well as other citizens of Russia, be released. The action was planned as an individual picket: one participant carries a picket in his hands, and a group supports him nearby. According to the law on conducting individual picketing, authorities are not required to be informed.

The organizers of the picket brought posters with the slogans: "MID, we demand the protection of our compatriots!", "In union with Belarus - repression, Russians arrested, violence!", "Freedom to prisoners of conscience in the Republic of Belarus'!".

The first to begin picketing was Maria Smirnova. As she described to a correspondent of PRIMA -News, the police guarding MID stated that they must ensure the safety of participants in the action. They also stated that she must stand not less than 10 meters from the supporting group. The police told Smirnova she could hand her poster to the Executive Director of the public movement "For Human Rights", Lev Ponomarev. But when Smirnova handed him the poster, the police said the picketing was not individual, and they attempted to detain her. Smirnova debated them about the legality of detention, and militiamen left her alone. Ponomarev, and another representative of the movement "For Human Rights" Yevgeny Ikhlov, were detained.

This not the first case of illegal detention by Russian police of participants in individual pickets. On September 13th, 2005, in Saint Petersburg, activists of the youth movement "Defense" were detained when they carried out an individual picket in the Smolny area in defense of citizens’ election rights.

On November 15th, 2005, the Moscow police detained activists of the "Union of Right-wing Forces" and "Yabloko", who were carrying out individual pickets of the building of the Constitutional Court of Russia. The action was connected with the beginning of the examination of the Constitutional Court of complaints of the cancellation of the election of governors.

Activists of public organizations explain that they need to be able to carry out individual pickets because authorities, in spite of the law, frequently refuse to agree to their petitions for conducting demonstrations.

Translated by OM Kenney
PRIMA-News Agency [2006-04-03-Rus-18]
http://www.prima-news.ru/eng/news/news/2006/4/5/35511.html