The prime minister made the remarks at a meeting on Saturday with representatives of Russia’s cultural elite, including notable actors, poets, and musicians. He said that government officials should not “cover up” with the restrictions that exist in current legislation to deny protesters the right to hold their events. Doing so, Putin said, would create the conditions in which it is impossible to exercise free speech.

“If I see that people are coming out not just to make a scene, but to say something concrete, practical – I have to say thank you,” he told those gathered.

Yury Shevchuk, lead singer of the band DDT and an outspoken critic of the Kremlin, asked the prime minister whether or not the opposition-lead March of Dissent planned to take place in St. Petersburg on Monday would be allowed. In response, Prime Minister Putin appealed to the same principle most commonly used by local governments in banning anti-government events: “The organizers of large demonstrations – dissenters and non-dissenters – must not forget that there are other people as well… If you decide to hold a ‘March of Dissent’ – forgive me for being too harsh – let’s say, near a hospital, where you’re going to be bothering sick children – who in the local authorities would let you hold this march there? And they’re right to ban it!” he said.

Shevchuk also raised the issues of freedom of speech and lawlessness within among federal security operatives and government officials. He asked the prime minister whether or not the country would experience any kind of liberalization, and if its citizens would ever be able to stop fearing the police. In response, Putin reiterated his position that the police are too heavily criticized, saying that one should not “smear everybody with the same black tar,” since “there are all types of people” working in the country’s police forces.

More particularly, the prime minister asserted that “the police are a mirror of all society.”

On Sunday, however, after the Russia media began widely reporting that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was declaring that opposition demonstrations could be legally held on May 31 without fear of backlash by the authorities, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitri Peskov was quick to clarify that this was definitely not the case.

“Right now many people are reacting ecstatically to the discussion…and are distorting its meaning. We even hear calls to go to protests since Putin allowed it, and that nobody would be touched,” apparently in reference to the fact that most unsanctioned protests in Russia are brutally suppressed by riot police. Peskov went on: “Nothing of the sort, Putin didn’t allow anything, because he cannot allow anything, the local authorities do that. Putin said that everything should be in the framework of the law.”

Peskov said that Putin basically meant that citizens certainly do have the right to protest, but that other citizens who don’t wish to protest have the right, for example, to not be caught in the blocked traffic that could theoretically happen as a result of a protest.

“And to discuss this more conceptually,” Peskov continued, “Putin said that, without question, there cannot be order without democracy, but there cannot be democracy without order, and everything should be strictly within the framework of legality.”

Putin’s spokesperson went on to effectively marginalize Shevchuk’s comments by saying that the discussion was “full” and that the singer’s concerns were “by no means” a primary topic. “A very wide spectrum of issues were discussed, they casually drank tea, with no kind of protocol, and there were questions about rare medicine for patients ill with cancer, and questions about cultural education and questions about culture and everything else,” Peskov said.

He went on to relate the following anecdote: “There was an interesting incident, Shevchuk said a toast in honor of the tea, he took a glass and said that he would very much like for our children to be live in a free society, a freely democratic country, and that, unfortunately, he still did not entirely see this in the country where we live right now. Everyone joined into this toast, and Putin said in conclusion that, in fact, as is the toast, such is the drink. At the time, there was water in everyone’s glasses. Such a curious moment,” Peskov said.

Whatever Putin’s comments, opposition rallies are set to take place today all throughout Russia, unsanctioned though they mostly are, The primary ones are part of the Strategy 31 initiative, in which protests are held in defense of the 31st article of the Russian constitution guaranteeing freedom of assembly. As each of the preceding eight rallies have ended with scores of activists detained and beaten by police, organizers have invited the editors from some of Russia’s largest media outlets and deputies from the European Parliament to take part as observers.

She said the letter named several students who were arrested on December 14th at an opposition protest known as a March of Dissent.  The document noted that conducting unsanctioned mass protest “is one form of extremism, has a high degree of social danger, and necessitates that law enforcement agencies respond with adequate measures.”  Organizers of the March of Dissent had tried to receive permission for the demonstration, but Moscow city officials had refused to sanction it.

The letter then asks the provost to “look at the issue of removing the conditions which allow wrong-doing to happen,” implying that the students should be expelled from the University.

Kasamara said the students were detained as they left the Mayakovskaya metro station before they arrived to the demonstration.  She underscored that the University was not planning on punishing the students, and said that no measures would be taken against them.

A total of six students studying political science and economics were arrested, according to rector Kuzminov’s press secretary, Olga Kolesnikova.  The students were asked to report what happened and write up an explanation to the University.

Kolesnikova made it clear that no students would be expelled.  “We can dismiss students if they are underachievers,” she told the Yezhednevny Zhurnal online newspaper.  “But if they study well, what right do we have to expel them?  They are not criminal offenders, why should we forbid them from studying?  In a word, we won’t let anyone get at our children.”

Demonstrations by other groups, including the nationalist Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DNPI) and its “Russia March,” have meanwhile had no trouble obtaining permits.

Authorities were also mobilizing police for the weekend, which corresponds with the 15th anniversary of the Russian Constitution. The document was approved by a public referendum on December 13, 1993.

As the RBK business daily reports, some 45 thousand officers have been mobilized around the country to deal with public demonstrations.

No Agreement Reached With Moscow Mayor’s Office

No agreement has been reached with officials on the location of the December 14th March of Dissent, but organizers said the protest would go ahead as planned. Garry Kasparov and Eduard Limonov, two leaders of the Other Russia opposition coalition, met Wednesday with city authorities, who refused to grant a permit to hold the demonstration in central Moscow.

According to Ludmila Mamina, the press secretary for Kasparov’s United Civil Front, authorities offered two alternate locations, the Tarasa Shevchenko embankment and Bolotnaya Ploschad. Siting the demonstration in the city center was impossible because other events were already planned there, said Valery Kadatsky, a Moscow city public safety official. While the March of Dissent was the first to apply for a permit to the Moscow Mayor’s office, the other events, he said, had received permits from the Central Administrative District, and not the city.

Organizers first turned in the required documents for the protest on December 1st.

Still, the opposition organizers pledged not to change the meeting place and route of the event, and said that the Moscow Mayor’s office was not giving them any choice but to break the law.

“They did not make any concessions,” said Limonov. The alternatives proposed by officials, Limonov added, were “deserted” and would not allow anyone to see the demonstrators. “We argued that a street demonstration is about our desire to show other people how we feel, and there would be no other people to see our demonstration in those places [suggested by the city authorities],” Limonov said.

Mamina said that organizers were willing and ready to change the route of the March, but wanted to keep the demonstration central, and use the Triumfalnaya Ploschad (Triumph square) as an initial assembly point. The group has been advertising this location in leaflets and flyers for over a month.

The March of Dissent will take place on December 14th, starting at 2:00PM in Triumfalnaya Ploschad and moving along Tverskaya ulitsa.

Citing Safety Concerns, St. Petersburg March of Dissent Moved to Chernyshevsky Gardens

Citing concerns for the safety of demonstrators, organizers of the St. Petersburg March of Dissent have accepted an alternate location proposed by city officials. Organizers said the ban on their original location was “illegal,” but feared that protestors could be assaulted by law enforcement if the March went ahead illegally. The March will now take place in the Chernyshevsky Gardens, starting at 2:00PM on Sunday December 14th.

Read their statement on the matter below:

Statement by Organizers of the St. Petersburg March of Dissent

We, the organizers of the March of Dissent, used all the legal means available to us to receive permission from city officials to hold a March of Dissent in St. Petersburg. The march would start at an assembly point by the Gostiny Dvor at 2:00 PM.

We proposed three different routes, but the authorities illegally refused all of them. Under these circumstances, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, we were forced, under fierce pressure from law enforcement agencies, to accept a clearly illegal offer to hold the meeting in the Chernyshevsky Gardens.

We understand that most of the invited citizens will come to the Gostiny Dvor meeting point on December 14th at 2:00 PM, as was earlier announced.

We hope that the militsiya and other agents of the law, who have been thrown in with an order to prevent the March of Dissent, will not interfere with citizens who will proceed peacefully, calmly and without breaking the public peace, from the Gostiny Dvor to the new meeting-place.

All interested participants can come directly to the sanctioned meeting in the Chernyshevsky Gardens.

IN BATTLE WE WILL FIND OUR JUSTICE!

EVERYONE TO THE MARCH OF DISSENT!

PUTIN’S GOVERNMENT MUST RESIGN!

On behalf of the organizers,

-Olga Kurnosova, leader of the United Civil Front in St. Petersburg

-Maxim Reznik, leader of the St. Petersburg branch of Yabloko

released by the press-service of the United Civil Front.

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More resources:
Tensions Mount Over Mass Protest (St. Petersburg Times)
Moscow, St. Petersburg Authorities Move to Curb Opposition Protests

Organizers have been careful to alert city officials well in advance, and to do everything in their power to obtain permits for the events. Yet after countless rebuffs, stalling and poor responses on the part of City Hall, organizers say that working with authorities has become impossible.

The most recent protests, set to take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg on December 14th, have proven the point. In both cities, officials have denied the proposed marching routes, and have made negotiations difficult. Organizers said both cities seemed intent on banning the Marches.

The protest’s organizing committee went as far as suggesting that it may stop notifying city officials about the protests altogether.

“If City Hall refuses to agree to the demo, and the rights of the marchers are violated again,” said Aleksandr Averin, a committee member, “the organizing committee of the March of Dissent will not continue with the unworkable practice of submitting notifications in the future, and will instead directly invoke the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which proclaims that citizens have the right to the freedom of assembly.”

Other Russia leader Garry Kasparov echoed the same sentiment, pointing out that the Moscow city government had no legal right to curb the March:

“Let the mayor’s office make a decision,” Kasparov told the Interfax news agency. “The selectivity of Moscow city authorities is mind-boggling. They let the KPFR (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) and numerous pro-Kremlin movements stage mass events.”

“I would like to remind [them],” he added, “that only those representing the authorities have ever resorted to violence at Marches of Dissent, while there were no incidents from our side.”

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Read more about the May 6, 2008 March of Dissent, which was canceled out of concern for the safety of participants.

The Moscow protest is planned to start at 14:00 in the Triumfalnaya Ploshchad (Triumph square), concluding in a march down Tverskaya ulitsa. The main issues behind the event are the Russian economic crisis, and proposed changes to the Russian Constitution, which would extend presidential term limits. The meeting will coincide with the anniversary of the Decembrist uprising, which took place on December 14, 1825 in imperial St. Petersburg.

A sister protest will take place in the Senatskaya Ploshchad (Senate square) of St. Petersburg. Attendees plan to gather on the Nevsky prospekt near the Gostiny dvor metro station.

Past Marches of Dissent have drawn thousands of people into the streets.

Figures in the Russian opposition are concerned with Constitutional changes proposed by Russian president Dmitri Medvedev in his yearly state-of-the-union address. The amendments would extend term limits for both the president (from 4 to 6 years) and delegates to the lower house of Parliament, the State Duma (from 4 to 5 years).

On November 14th, the State Duma adopted the draft amendments in the first reading. The second and third readings will take place on November 19th, and 21st. After that, the amendments will go to the Federation Council, then to regional legislatures before ultimately returning to the president for signing.

Marina Litvinovich, who serves on the committee, said the group is meeting to denounce the anniversary of the December 2007 Parliamentary elections, which have been described as illegitimate, both domestically and internationally.  The Other Russia and other independent groups have said that the elections, which gave the pro-Kremlin United Russia party a large majority of votes, were largely falsified.  (Read more about abuses at the polls).

Critics of the Kremlin as well as international observers have described similar violations during the March 2008 presidential election.

Since then, The Other Russia has formed the National Assembly, a sort of alternative Parliament for disenfranchised voices.  The group first met on May 17th, when some 700 delegates from 66 Russian regions met in Moscow.  (Read a declaration released by the Assembly)

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Theotherrussia.org will be providing up-to-date information and coverage about planned opposition protests in Russia.  Stay tuned for details.

According to Lukin, organizers of the protest, called the March of Dissent, were fully compliant with the law, by informing City Hall of the event 15 days in advance. A response from the mayor’s office, however, came later than required. Lukin added that while the reply offered for organizers to choose a different location, it did not propose an alternate route. In Lukin’s opinion, “this could be appraised as an avoidance of approving a peaceful meeting and demonstration.”

In connection with this, Lukin suggest that organizers of the “March of Dissent” use the legal process to explore the matter. For his part, Lukin promised to “follow the course of the trial closely, and reserve the right to express his point of view regarding the adopted court decisions.”

The March of Dissent was supposed to take place in Moscow on May 6th, but was cancelled by organizers out of fear for the safety of participants. Victor Biryukov, head of the information management and public relations department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, had personally promised United Civil Front director Denis Bilunov that protestors would not be arrested if the march was called off. Still, some 60 demonstrators were arrested as they walked to the planned gathering spot. As result, around 15 people were sentenced to administrative arrests ranging from 3 to 13 days.

The activists were on their way to an opposition protest in Moscow called a “March of Dissent.” City officials had refused to sanction the event, and had brought in an army of riot police in anticipation of the March. As result, organizers cancelled the demonstration at the last minute for fear of the safety of participants. But many participants were already on their way, and were arrested as they approached the scene, or tried to stage smaller demonstrations.

Of the 60 or so demonstrators who were arrested in Moscow, some 20 were doled out administrative arrests ranging form 3 to 13 days.

Oleg Kozlovsky was one of those arrested, and was quickly sentenced to 13 days of lockup by Moscow’s Basmanny Court. He was charged with failure to obey militsiya officers as he walked toward the planned gathering spot. The activist himself said the arrest was an attempt to keep him from taking part in the National Assembly, an alternate parliament organized by the opposition. The Assembly’s first session is scheduled for May 17th and 18th.

Kozlovsky has been a frequent target of arrest and harassment by authorities. In December 2007, he was stopped outside his home and subsequently conscripted into the army. The opposition leader had completed a reserve training course during his studies at the Moscow State University, and was exempt from further military service. Still, he was transferred to a military unit and enlisted. He was only demobilized on March 4th, after a long campaign by relatives and human rights activists to prove his exemption from service.

Kozlovsky is currently being held in temporary detention in Moscow. He has appealed his arrest, and will go before new court on May 12th.

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For up-to-date information on Oleg Kozlovsky, visit his English-language Blog (ENG)

Denis Bilunov, the executive director of the United Civil Front party, was at the Chistye Prudy metro station, near the rally’s planned gathering spot, telling activists to leave the area. Speaking with a Sobkor®ru reporter, he said that the unlawful rejection of the demonstration by Moscow officials would be challenged in court.

Hundreds of riot police and militsiya troops were already at the scene well before the planned start of the March. Eye-witnesses said that most of the expected route, including the Slavyanskaya Ploschad (Slavonic Square) and the Chistoprudny Boulevard, were already surrounded by police and blocked off.

Reports are also coming in that activists were being arrested on their way to the location. According to initial counts, at least 50 people were arrested as they walked in small groups toward the assembly point.

Earlier in the day, The Other Russia press-service reported that they had received information suggesting two of the coalition’s leaders, Garry Kasparov and Eduard Limonov, would be arrested at the protest. The pair decided not take part in the event, for fear that they would be behind bars during May 17th and 18th meetings of the National Assembly, an alternative parliament organized by the opposition.

Organizers of the March of Dissent had attempted to negotiate with city officials until the last minute. The Other Russia press-service reported that there was no response from City Hall to the conclusions of a May 5th round-table between opposition leaders and local law enforcement. Participants of the round-table reached a compromise to limit the March of Dissent to a rally at one set location, and were waiting for the mayor to approve the deal.

The opposition initially filed paperwork for the demonstration on April 21st. City Hall responded 8 days later, rejecting the proposed gathering without providing any alternate routes.

Demonstrators were planning to protest the inauguration of President-elect Dmitri Medvedev, which will take place on May 7th 2008.

Bilunov said that a group representing the opposition had met with representatives of the local law enforcement at a round-table to negotiate the protest’s location.

As The Other Russia press-service reported, a final decision by City Hall will only be released on May 6th at 12:00 PM Moscow time. The press-service denied reports by the RIA Novosti and Interfax news agencies that the March of Dissent was being cancelled.

The initial paperwork to hold the March was filed on April 21st. City Hall, required to respond to a notice of demonstration within 3 days, waited 8 days to issue a statement saying that another gathering by the pro-Kremlin Young Russia movement was already planned for the proposed location. The officials did not offer an alternate route for the demonstration, which is also required by law.

Organizers have complained about similar treatment of previous Marches of Dissent, when city authorities refused to register protests planned weeks in advance. Commonly, officials reply to every proposed location by claiming that another group, almost always a youth movement friendly with authorities, has already planned a rally there. On March 3rd 2008, police charged the unsanctioned Moscow demonstration with batons, arresting over 200 picketers.

Eduard Limonov and Garry Kasparov, two leaders of The Other Russia, reported on May 4th that they were being continuously followed by unknown individuals. The two said they were concerned that provocateurs were planning to interfere with the upcoming demonstration.

The Moscow March of Dissent is set to start at 18:00 local time by the Chistiye Prudy metro station. Protesters will then walk a fixed route to the Slavyanskaya Ploschad (Slavonic Square).