Human rights defenders expect a fair investigation of "Disagreement Marches" dispersals

The balance of forces in the OMON (Special Militia)-dissidents confrontation in Nizhni Novgorod on March 24 can be compared with the balance of forces during the battle of Persians with 300 Spartans. This analogy is presented by human rights activists in their appeal to Russian Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin and Ella Pamfilova, Chair of the Board under the President of the Russian Federation for Promotion of Civil Society Institutes and Human Rights. The authors of the appeal, among them L. Alekseeva, L. Ponomaryov, E. Chorny, V. Gefter, S. Gannushkina, Yu. Brovchenko, M. Arutyunov and other representatives of Russian human rights organizations, demand an immediate investigation into the violations of constitutional human rights during the four marches held in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Nizhni Novgorod.

"We are addressing you because of severe violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, first of all, the right for the freedom of peaceful demonstrations, the right for personal immunity and the right for freedom of associations guaranteed by the Constitution and legislation of the Russian Federation and protected by the European Convention," the appeal runs.

Further, the authors of the appeal enumerate the violations, which, according to their data, were committed during the "Disagreement Marches." Firstly, it was a scandalous interdiction and dispersal of the demonstration in Saint Petersburg on March 3. Secondly, it was an incredibly violent dispersal of the demonstration in Nizhni Novgorod on March 24.

Besides, Russian human rights defenders have called the Council of Europe to discuss the situation with the freedom of assemblies in Russia at the nearest session of the Parliamentary Assembly. At their meeting with Thomas Hammarberg, Head of the Human Rights Committee, the defenders gave him the materials on the actions of the militia during dispersals of the "Disagreement Marches" in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Radio Liberty broadcasts.