Fourteen prominent cultural figures and human rights activists in Russia addressed a letter to President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, warning them against an impending disaster. These intellectuals believe that Russia is in for sociopolitical cataclysms if it does not embrace democracy, and that they will be to blame (a full statement is provided further on). Characteristically, the Russian president seems to have no intention of responding to this warning. His press secretary Natalia Timakova told the media the head of state has every right to ignore such statements, whereas every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to voice his/her view on whatever is happening.
The People’s Freedom Party “For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption” supported this initiative. Mikhail Kasyanov, one of its functionaries, declared: “This is a noteworthy statement. I feel satisfied that there are reputed public figures in Russia who are concerned with what is happening to this country, who will not stand back and silently watch what is being done to it.”
On May 20, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party urged the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE to pressure the Kremlin into letting new political parties form and be officially registered. On the Liberal faction’s initiative this issue will shortly be discussed in the European Parliament.
The Day asked Dr. Lilia SHEVTSOVA, Moscow Carnegie’s leading expert, for comment.
“Georgii Satarov, who had actually initiated this statement, said there was an opportunity of addressing the top political leadership, that one ought to look for all possible ways to get across to those in power and make them realize that the next election will most likely be rigged, and that doubtlessly there will be evidence of such falsehood. Satarov and a group of supporting intellectuals did just that. I also think that here no chance should be passed up; even those who signed this statement couldn’t actually expect a response. Considering that the current political system relies on this we-won’t-go-there principle, this fact alone indicates that the coming election campaign won’t be fair. Our political leadership couldn’t have taken this statement seriously, just as the fact that Medvedev must have thought better of taking any official action against this letter is understandable. I believe there will be more than enough of such statements and public actions in support of fair elections. By the way, another rally will take place on June 31, in support of the Constitution. President Medvedev can’t allow himself to look ridiculous by replying to every human rights or constitution activists’ letter. Medvedev and Putin will keep silent, yet this is additional proof that Russia is deadlocked. Everyone knows that the [coming] election will be rigged, yet there is nothing anyone can do about it. Those in power mean to play the game whatever it takes, whereas our civic society isn’t strong enough to oppose this the way it was done at the turn of the 1990s, with rallies numbering between 500,000 and a million in Moscow and other big cities, to make those upstairs hear what the people down in the street have to say. Today, a rally involving several thousand persons can be shrugged off by the authorities, just as they can easily ignore this statement, this letter, the way one has to ignore flies on a hot summer day.”
What about the travel bans and economic sanctions, as in the case of the persons involved with the death of the lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, while in police custody?
“This is a mind-boggling experience. In principle, Europe and America care little about Russia because this country is of peripheral interest to them, yet the fact that the European public and the American Congress have started paying close attention to unlawful and unconstitutional acts in Russia, their awareness of my country as an exporter of corruption, indicates a turning point in their views on Russia. Here one ought to single out two initiatives. One belongs to Europe’s Green and Liberal Democrats, with all those statements and declarations addressing European political leaders regarding the Russian issue, urging them to take it seriously — primarily in terms of the rigged election and in regard to the Khodorkovsky
