Police arrested 25 people protesting against the EU summit in Moscow today, Tuesday 28 May at 15 45 hrs (Moscow time). Reports so far indicate that five on them were badly beaten. The police are refusing to comment on what is happening to those arrested. Those detained include CWI members.
Urgent solidarity action required
Oleg Shein, an independent member of the parliament and leader of the Party of Labour, has protested over the police action and has been told that those arrested would be released by 21 00 hrs today. They have been charged with taking part in "an illegal demonstration", and the police intend to bring them to court.
The police had previously sanctioned the protest but then declared it "illegal" at the last moment. When protesters arrived for the demonstrations and tried to unfurl banners they were beat up and arrested people by riot police. The event has been shown on Russian television.
The anti-EU protesters believe this brutal police action has been ordered from above. As the Putin government moves closer to the big bosses’ clubs, the EU and NATO, it does not want the ’embarrassment’ of protests on the streets of Moscow.
We urge our readers to bombard the Moscow police with protests demanding a full account of what has happened to those arrested and calling of their immediate release. Call for all charges to be immediately dropped.
The address of the police station ’Khamovniki’ is: 119048, Usacheva str., Moscow. The telephone and fax numbers are (Moscow) 245 0104, and 2452426.
Please raise this issue with your government and Russian embassies.
Please send your protests about the arrested anti-EU demonstrators in Moscow to:
The Delegation of the European Commission. Phone number: 007 095 721 20 20
EU member state embassies in Moscow include:
German Embassy, phone 007 095 93 8 23 54
Spanish Embassy, phone 007 095 291 91 71
Italian Embassy, phone 007 095 253 92 89
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