[E-rundbrief] Info 422 - G-8-summit St. Petersburg - repressions

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 422 - Trade Union Solidarity Action Committee of 
Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region: Appeal against repressions 
around the G-8-summit in St. Petersburg/ Russia. Alternative summit 
organised by the Russian Social Forum.

Bad Ischl, 12.7.2006

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Appeal against repressions around the G-8-summit in St. Petersburg/ 
Russia. Alternative summit organised by the Russian Social Forum.

Trade Union Solidarity Action Committee of Saint Petersburg and 
Leningrad region

Dear Friends and Comrades!

July 11th, 2006

We have to resort to you with an appeal for help and international solidarity!

Russia is on the verge of the G 8 summit which is to be hosted in 
Saint Petersburg.

At the same time our country is experiencing another series of 
political violence and reprisals.

Contrary to the official G-8 summit an alternative event has been 
planned to be held in Saint Petersburg by the Russian Social Forum.

The activists belonging to different political and grass root 
organizations and groups scattered all over Russia are coming to 
Saint Petersburg to participate in the alternative  'summit''. Among 
them are the activists of the all Russian Society of Hostels and 
Dormitories Dwellers Rights, activists of the anti  'monetization 
laws'' movement, trade union activists of the Siberian Confederation 
of Labor and from other regions, different human right groups 
activists and many other individuals.

These persons are being harassed and persecuted by the local police 
and security services agents on their way to Saint Petersburg.

Some people are being stopped and arrested at the air ports and rail 
way stations without any legal pretext. Some activists have been 
detained illegally. One person from Siberia has disappeared.

Up to this date at least 100 people have been detained under various 
pretexts having no legal force. People are forcefully deprived of 
their documents, transportation tickets, stalked by unknown 
individuals and then once again arrested by police on the pretext of 
protecting their personal safety (!).  On different occasions people 
have brutally been mishandled by police and secret service agents.

Here in Saint Petersburg Vladimir Soloveichik, one of the leaders of 
the Civil Initiatives Movement of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad 
region has been detained in his own apartment and now has been taken 
under police custody.

In Saint Petersburg some more arrests have been made: two girls were 
arrested last Monday on Sennaya square for handing out materials on 
the Russian Social Forum, two activists from Germany have been 
detained under a pretext of violating  'their legal status of staying 
in a foreign country''. Now they are being kept in   police station N 
36 of Saint Petersburg together with another Russian citizen.

A peaceful demonstration planned during the G-8 meeting in the period 
of July, 15-17, has been banned by the authorities.
It seems that the authorities are trying to provoke illegal actions 
and then blame them on committing  'terrorists and illegal actins''.

All this is going on at a time when the civil rights of many other 
individuals in other Russian regions are being violated and neglected.

We are unsure if those arrests and reprisals have been initiated by 
the authorities in Moscow or by the local authorities. But all this 
seems to be a very well coordinated and concerted action.

We are appealing to all people in the Western countries and asking 
them to voice their solidarity with the Russian political and social 
activists at this critical moment on the eve of the G- 8 summit. We 
suggest that you request the Russian embassies and consulates in the 
West European countries that they provide you for necessary 
information. We suggest that you picket their offices.

Please spread the word!

A traditional Russian police state Russia is making a comeback!  What 
we see now is an authoritative state brutally repressing legal and 
civil rights of the Russian citizens.

Is Russia worth being a G- 8 member?

We also urge you to come to Saint Petersburg and witness everything 
with your own eyes.

In solidarity

Trade Union Solidarity Action Committee of Saint Petersburg and 
Leningrad region

11.7.2006

http://r.mail.ru/cln3089/sputnik.mail.ru/

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl, 
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305    BIC: SKBIAT21XXX