We Received Refusal of the Moscow Mayoralty to Carry Out Meeting on March, 5th – from Relativist Positions

My phone rang: "Who speaks?" - "Bloody mode".

However, bloody mode was quite polite, it informed that request of the Russian political committee to carry out mass action on March, 5th submitted to the mayoralty has been studied and we are refused to carry out the action. They asked, if I will personally come to pick up the document or the document should be sent by e-mail?

The bloody mode also informed that the main cause of the refusal is discrepancy of targets of the meeting to representation of the officials of the Moscow mayoralty about the reason to hold it. Say, the protest against falsification of elections has been stated in the request, while elections will take place only on March, 4^th and falsifications haven't taken place yet. It means we are riding before the hounds... The consequence can't be ahead of the reason.

I didn't start arguing, I preferred to wait for the document. It’s very ridiculous.

So, in reply to a wish "to express protest against falsifications of elections, to express demand of fair elections and carrying out of political reforms" officials from the Department of Regional Security "have bases to assume". Though according to the legislation of the Russian Federation no assumptions of Mr. Olejnik and his colleagues can cancel article 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Moreover, there’s no mentioning of Mr. Olejnik’s assumptions in the corresponding law.

I from my part also have assumption - inability to read in Russian is a serious obstacle for employment of high post by Mr. Olejnik. After all it’s stated in the request clearly: "to express protest against falsifications of elections" - a word "falsifications" has plural form, that is it can't be treated in any way as instructions for the elections which would take place on March, 4th. It is a question of falsifications on elections on December, 4th, on elections of all levels of earlier period - there are decisions of courts which have come into force, including international one which allow to talk about practice of frequent enough revealing of falsifications on elections in Russia. What does contradict the law here and what law are we talking about?

Or we should be silently happy with these falsifications?

The second objection of the Department of Regional Security of Regional Security is even more ridiculous, than the first one. Obviously, misters observers of Regional Security suspect (it’s quite probable that suspiciousness is their professional feature) that applicants don't know that there are in Moscow buses, trolley buses and, Lord forbid, trams? Actually, that circumstance that constitutional law of citizens to gather for holding peace meetings and processions can interfere with normal functioning of municipal transport entails the requirement of the law on meetings to coordinate actions with city authorities – so that the last could provide carrying out of the action beforehand, to organize alternative variants of traffic and so on. We agree that if we would intend to hold meeting in the fields of the Samara region, we wouldn’t need agreement of the mayoralty. But the law says exactly about coordination, not about refusal on the ground that there is municipal transport functioning in the city.

Well and the third objection about the requests submitted earlier demands at least notifications what these requests are, for what places and at what time. I have very big doubts that there is correct coincidence on time and place which means that it is easy to organize different actions at different time and places, if there’s such desire. But it means that there should be such desire, certainly... While unwillingness can be treated as malicious and intended default by officials of their duties directly imputed to them by legislation of the Russian Federation.

Soon I was again called by bloody mode and offered nevertheless try to settle thing closer to evening or tomorrow. It informed even that procession wouldn't be allowed to anybody and under any circumstances. We will see, of course.

But there are two absolutely principal positions. The first - it is possible to "move" towards Lubyanka, to Okhotny Ryad but not to Bolotnaya or Taras Shevchenko Quay. Or to notorious potato field near Samara.

The second position – no matter what these or those people would “coordinate" with the mayoralty, if the action in the center of Moscow is shifted aside "suburbs", people will all the same come to the center. What will come of it - will be on the head (and what is more important – on direct office responsibility) of the Department of Regional Security and other important structures.

Anatoly Baranov, editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk

PS. There is rather unpleasant experience of events in Zhanaozen (Kazakhstan) where authorities took extreme repressive measures – they shot protesters. The Russian power also has such temptation - sometimes people very close to authorities blabbed out.

While what does occur now in Kazakhstan? Arrests of mayors, their assistants, policemen and people from power departments take place now in Kazakhstan. After all everybody understand perfectly well that both mayors and chiefs of local police acted not under own initiative. While they will have to stay in prison...

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