On 3 September in Moscow human rights activists from the Movement For Human Rights began protesting against police arbitrariness. They went to the square near the Russian Museum of History with placates reading: ‘We don’t need this type of vertical power, No to police arbitrariness, Criminal responsibility for mass beatings and unconstitutional orders’. (07-OCT-05)
The main goals of the meetings:
- Protest against breaking the law, cruelty and arbitrariness by law enforcement agencies and power structures during the mass beatings in Blagoveshchensk (read more), Borozdinovskaya (read more), Elista, Rojdestvenno, Ivanovo, Bejestk and others.
- To call to account the officials, members of law enforcement and power structures who participated in the violations of constitutional and human rights of Russian citizens, insulting and humiliation of citizens? dignity in the events in Blagoveshchensk, Borozdinovskaya etc.
- To demand the resignation of, and call to account, the officials who organized these mass violations of human rights.
- To demand the publishing of all statutory acts concerning rights and freedoms of people and citizens, including the acts which have status ?For Administrative Use?.
- To demand the repeal of these unconstitutional and shameful acts ?For Administrative Use? (# 174 and 870) about ?filtration point? and force-majeure which give policemen and law enforcement the right to carry out mass beatings of people.
This meeting will take place every day until 14 October. Organizations from Krasnodar Region and Kalmykiya Region have arrived in Moscow to support and join this protest.
Statistical information
In September 2005 the sociological think-tank Levada-Center, by request from the Public Verdict Fund, has created an Index of law enforcement arbitrariness. 81% of Russian people consider the problem of law enforcement arbitrariness as actual. 71% of Russians feel anxiety towards law enforcement agencies. 73% are afraid of suffering of some form of personal retribution from law enforcement arbitrariness. Only 4% of Russians speak with confidence about their trust towards law enforcement agencies.
According to opinion poll information, 46% of people think that the government powers use law enforcement agencies as instruments for political struggle with their opponents. 24% of Russians find difficulty in answering the question. The Public Verdict Fund can establish the fact that Russian citizens have got used to the practice of using law enforcement agencies in political struggle and don?t pay attention to it, especially because the majority of Russian people are detached of any participation in political life.
Source: http://control.hro.org/antidot/2005/10/04.php
http://www.publicverdict.org/ru/articles/news/index_10.05.html
