Other Russia Campaigning Materials Seized

On November 1st, activists from the Other Russia coalition were detained in Moscow. As the Sobkor®ru news agency reported, the activists were never charged with a crime, and were released late in the evening.

Earlier in the day, the individuals were stopped on a Moscow highway, summoned from their vehicle, and arrested. Campaigning materials of the opposition coalition, which were located in the vehicle, were confiscated by militsiya officers. The items included stickers and leaflets prepared for the upcoming State Duma elections and November protests dubbed “Dissenter’s Marches.”

A reason for the stop was never revealed. The automobile was taken by an individual in civilian dress, whom the militsiya identified as an agent of the FSB.

A similar incident took place in Pskov the same day. An Other Russia member, Nadezhda Donovskaya, was apprehended aboard a Moscow-Pskov train. Her bags, which contained campaigning materials, were confiscated. The taken items included posters summoning voters to vote “against all” during the December State Duma elections, and to write in “the Other Russia” on their ballots.

The apparent reason was a letter written to the Directorate of Internal affairs, the state body which oversees the militsiya. Signed by the director of the Pskov oblast Electoral Commission, Yuliy Kulikovoi, the letter discussed the necessity of expropriating campaigning materials of the Other Russia.

A formal list of Other Russia candidates to the State Duma was decided at the coalition’s Federal Congress on September 30th. The list was subsequently rejected by the Central Electoral Commission, although the opposition group has decided to continue their campaign anyway.