Activist sues Moscow government

On Friday, May 14, Moscow's Taganskii District Court started consideration of a lawsuit from Lev Ponomariov, leader of the Movement for Human Rights, questioning the legality of banning a meeting scheduled for February 23 this year. Lev Ponomariov told Caucasian Knot about the progress in the legal proceedings.

The action was timed to the 60th anniversary of Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingush. The government of the capital city planned to block some of the city's central streets in connection with the Homeland Defender's Day celebration, which served as the formal reason for the ban. However, Lubianskaia Square in which the action was planned to occur was not included in that list. However, they had to substitute a picket at the Solovetskii Stone for the meeting. The authorities considered the picket unsanctioned, so the police detained some of the picketers, while the organizers were fined through court proceedings. But now an attempt to restore justice is being made. Besides, the fines will be annulled given the positive decision of the court.

Lev Ponomariov: In my statement, I demand that the actions of Mr. Zaitsev, deputy prefect of the Central Administrative District, should be declared unlawful because he refused to consider the notification of conducting the meeting without any substantial ground. The court accepted my additional statement and ruled that Zaitsev must submit a reasoned explanation. The hearing will occur on June 2. I am sure that not all courts or not always judge in favor of the executive. That is why I believe I will be able to win this case and cancel the order Zaitsev signed.

Caucasian Knot: Your action has had higher resonance than usual thanks to the bans and court proceedings. What do you think about that sort of "hype"?

Lev Ponomariov: I am rather negative about it. Indeed, this action accidentally turned out to be widely known. To me, however, this is by far not the reason for being glad: I'd rather our government observe the law. I'd like there to be less hype and more real action. If we fail to have a lot of people at the meeting devoted to the 60th anniversary of the deportation of the Chechens and Ingush, this is our problem and our society's. You mustn't draw appeal through scandals in such cases.

Caucasian Knot: What methods do you use to try to draw people's attention to such activities?

Lev Ponomariov: Quieter ones. For example, we always make announcements about our actions in radio Echo of Moscow's news. We also work through the Antiwar Action Committee. As a matter of fact, we have a database with our permanent members' names and contacts: these are two or three thousand people on average. They all are personally notified of forthcoming meetings and pickets. However, it is never possible to foresee, at least approximately, how many people will come.

Caucasian Knot: What can you say about the actual results of the actions your organization conducts?

Lev Ponomariov: As a matter of fact, meetings, demonstrations and pickets play a huge role in democratic nations. But present-day Russia is not a democratic nation, so everything is a bit different here. To us, conducting such actions is one form of expressing citizens' opinion, codified in the Constitution. This form must be sustained, because one day hundreds of thousands of people will come to our demonstrations, again. I am sure this has a huge influence with government given the number of demonstrators is big. Thus, pickets, meetings and demonstrations in the early 1990s organized by the Democratic Russia movement which I headed that time and still do played a decisive role in the peaceful, democratic revolution in Russia. People then went into the streets themselves, in protest against the monopoly of the communist government. Meanwhile, we transformed spontaneous demonstrations that could result in God knows what into peaceful actions. We negotiated with police about how they would be conducted. That is why, actually, a peaceful, democratic revolution took place.

Caucasian Knot: Do you plan to conduct any activities soon, for example, against war in the Caucasus?

Lev Ponomariov: A meeting in defense of political prisoners will occur on May 20. An application has been lodged already. This is not directly linked with war in Chechnya, but it is indirectly, no doubt. I am sure they will mention it in their speeches. If there are prisoners of conscience in the country, it means government has something to conceal. War in Chechnya is not the least among such things.

Editors note: See also the article "International Helsinki Federation condemns break-up of meeting in Moscow to oppose armed conflict in Chechnya".