FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM  //  The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum strives to promote cooperation between the peoples of Finland and Russia by supporting civic initiatives for democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.

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Feb 1 / 3:39pm

Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Throughout Russia

by Kerkko Paananen

Media_httpadromy4user_jkpjc

Rallies in defense of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees citizens' right to peaceful assembly and procession, were held on 31 January 2011 in altogether 70 cities across Russia. Rallies took place in Moscow, St Petersburg, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Blagoveshchensk, Omsk, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Murmansk, Yaroslavl, Yekaterinburg, Tver, Penza , Ryazan, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, Saratov, Kurgan, Vladivostok, Tyumen, Sochi, and many other cities throughout Russia. Support rallies were held abroad: in Helsinki, Hamburg, London, New York, and elsewhere.

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Filed under  //  Constitution   Democracy   Human Rights   Russia   Strategy-31  
 
Jan 31 / 5:50am

Indict KGB, Blacklist Putin!

by Kerkko Paananen

Media_httpwwwrussiabl_sjyav

We, the undersigned, urge that Vladimir Putin, Russia's Prime Minister, be placed on a "No Entry List" in the European Union and the United States. Strong sanctions by the West are vital and urgently needed in order to stop the threat coming from Putin's KGB clique. Putin and his cronies are not above international law. His abuse of human rights in Russia is not just a Russian problem.

Under Putin's rule, Russia has become a "sovereign democracy" and a "controlled democracy." Putin has turned Russia into a kleptocracy. Putin and his cronies are above the law. Is it purely coincidence that hundreds of the sharpest and well-informed critics of the regime (politicians, journalists, human rights activists) have been murdered over the ten years of Putin's autocracy?

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Filed under  //  EU   FSB   Foreign Policy   KGB   Perezagruzka   Putin   Russia   Strategy-31   USA  
 
Jan 17 / 9:33am

Russian Opposition Plans March on Kremlin

by Kerkko Paananen

Media_httpimg1liveint_cehsa

Russia's anti-government opposition has announced that it plans to march on the Kremlin. Opposition leaders Eduard Limonov, Vladimir Bukovsky, and Konstantin Kosyakin left notice to the Moscow mayor's office about a planned rally in defence of the freedom of assembly on Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square on 31 January 2011. The rally would be followed by a march to the Kremlin.

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Filed under  //  Constitution   Demonstration   Human Rights   Kremlin   Moscow   Opposition   Russia   Strategy-31  
 
Jan 5 / 8:00am

Heidi Hautala: EU should support Russian opposition

by Kerkko Paananen
Media_httpnimgsulekha_ezfvi

Heidi Hautala, Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Sub-committee on Human Rights, has condemned the sentencing of Russian opposition activists arrested for taking part in a peaceful rally to defend the Russian Constitution on 31 December 2010. Ms Hautala called for the immediate release of all peaceful protesters. Hundreds of people were arrested in Moscow, St Petersburg, and other cities in Russia in connection with the campaign to defend Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of assembly.

"With the new mayor of Moscow, the authorities seemed to have been finally prepared to show respect for the constitutional right of citizens to peacefully gather and manifest their views. The arrest of hundreds of people on 31 December 2010 shows that this was an unfounded hope. This is a real backlash and we in the European Parliament must keep the pressure on our so-called strategic partner so that it respect the internationally guaranteed rights which every citizen, including Russians, shall enjoy," Ms Hautala said.

"The EU was very quick to react against police violence towards demonstrators in Belarus. I want to remind the EU representatives and colleagues of the need to avoid a potential double standard in the attitude towards the events in Belarus and Russia. The EU must keep condemning police practices in Russia as vigorously as it does in the case of Belarus. It is time that the EU opens contacts with and shows solidarity towards Russia's democratic opposition, just as it does towards the opposition of Belarus," Ms Hautala insisted.

http://www.heidihautala.fi/2011/01/chairwoman-condemns-the-sentencing-of-mr-nemtsov/

Filed under  //  Constitution   EU   Heidi Hautala   Human Rights   Opposition   Russia   Strategy 31  
 
Oct 6 / 6:02pm

FINROSFORUM Report at OSCE Review Conference

by Kerkko Paananen

Media_httpwwwauswaert_ntxgp

Below, a report on behalf of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum at the OSCE Review Conference in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on 30 September-8 October 2010. The conference in Warsaw is the first of a three-part review conference ahead of the OSCE Summit to be held in Astana on 1-2 December 2010. The second and third parts of the review conference will be held in Vienna on 18-26 October 2010 and in Astana on 26-28 November 2010.

The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are intrinsic to any democratic society. The right to assemble peacefully is an essential condition for the exercise of other human rights, such as the freedom of expression. Participation in peaceful assemblies helps ensure that all people in a society have the opportunity to express opinions that they hold in common with others.

This right is also enshrined in the basic document of a democratic country which is its Constitution. In Russia, it is Article 31, which guarantees her citizens freedom of peaceful assembly, one of the basic freedoms that the authorities of the Russian Federation violate.

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Filed under  //  FINROSFORUM   Human Rights   OSCE   Russia   Strategy-31  
 
Sep 1 / 12:20am

Noize MC - 10 Days (Stalingrad)

by Kerkko Paananen

"You have to get a permit from the local authorities. If you have it, then go and rally. If not, you do not have the right. If you go out without having a permit, you will get your face bashed in with a truncheon. That is all." ~ Vladimir Putin, 30 August 2010

Filed under  //  Noize MC   Police   Putin   Russia   Strategy-31  
 
May 31 / 3:16am

Strategy-31: Defend Freedom of Assembly!

by Kerkko Paananen

Media_httpstrategy31r_tagci

Amnesty International Finnish section invites you to join a demonstration in support of the freedom of assembly in Russia on Monday 31 May 2010 at 6 pm outside the Russian Embassy in Helsinki (Tehtaankatu 1).

The 31st Article of the Russian constitution guarantees freedom of assembly. Demonstrations for the freedom of assembly have taken place in Moscow and cities throughout Russia on the 31st day of every month that has 31 days.

The first demonstration as part of the Strategy-31 campaign was held on 31 December 2009. Police detained the organisers, including 82-year-old veteran dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva. Most subsequent demonstrations have been banned as well.

You can take part in an "online demonstration" on 31 May 2010 by sending in your photos to tall93time@photos.flickr.com and writing "tags: russia-may-31" in the body of the message. The subject line acts as the photo caption in Flickr.

Besides Helsinki, demonstrations in support of the freedom of assembly in Russia will be held in several other cities throughout Europe. Amnesty International Finnish section will have a live photo feed of the demonstration:

http://www.amnesty.fi/mita-tapahtuu/mita-sina-voit-tehda/maakoordinaatiot/venaja

Filed under  //  Amnesty   Constitution   Demonstration   Human rights   Russia   Strategy-31