OVERWHELMING POLICE PRESENCE STOPS MARCH IN NIZHNIY NOVGOROD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001310

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDRM SOCI RS
SUBJECT: OVERWHELMING POLICE PRESENCE STOPS MARCH IN
NIZHNIY NOVGOROD

REF: MOSCOW 1240

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. Reason: 1.4 (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Nizhniy Novogorod authorities used an overwhelming law
enforcement presence to thwart the efforts of several hundred
"Other Russia" activists to stage a "March of Dissenters"
down a central pedestrian avenue on March 24. Eyewitnesses
report that a number of would-be marchers were beaten. About
one hundred participants, including as many as 12
journalists, were detained by police. "Other Russia" leaders
Garry Kasparov, Eduard Limonov, former Prime Minister Mikhail
Kasyanov, and activist Irina Khakamada were notably absent.
Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin reportedly urged Mayor
Vadim Bulavinov in a March 24 telephone call to rein in the
police. We are expressing out concern about the behavior of
the police and local authorities to the GOR. Suggested press
guidance, para 8. End summary.

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March Pre-empted
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2. (SBU) City authorities on March 24 followed through on
their promise to crush any effort by "Other Russia" and
affiliated organizations to stage the third in a series of
"March of Dissenters" in central Nizhniy Novgorod. (The
first two marches had been held in Moscow and St.
Petersburg.) According to press reports and eyewitness
accounts, as many as 20 thousand (sic) uniformed law
enforcement officials, many bused in from other cities,
detained passengers arriving by train on the morning of March
24, then wrapped up anyone attempting to visit the city's
central square in advance of the planned march. (Note: We
find this figure difficult to believe, as larger rallies in
Moscow are "managed" by forces numbering closer to 7
thousand.)


3. (SBU) Oksana Chelysheva of the Nizhniy Novgorod-based
Russian-Chechen Friendship Society told us that among those
detained were the local leaders of the National Bolshevik
Party (NBP); an aide to Garry Kasparov; Russian-Chechen
Friendship Society Chairman Stanislav Dmitrievskiy, and
Vanguard of Red Youth movement leader Sergey Udaltsov. Also
detained and, in at least one instance beaten, were as many
as twelve journalists, including several foreign
correspondents. In addition to the would-be participants and
journalists, a number of observers and passers-by were also
detained and in some cases struck by the police. As of March
26, the vast majority of the estimated 110 persons detained
have been released.

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City - Marchers Stand-off
Follows Disagreement on Meeting Site
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4. (SBU) The stand-off between march organizers and city
authorities crystallized after "Other Russia" rejected the
Nizhniy Novgorod's near-central Lenin Square as a site for
its rally (reftel). With the end of the negotiations, city
authorities began to harass "Other Russia," confiscating
special edition newspapers announcing the march, calling in
organizers for questioning, hastily scheduling a children's
event for the same venue on March 24, beginning construction
on the main thoroughfare along which demonstrators were to
march, and deploying disinformation.

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Human Rights Ombudsman
Intervenes with Mayor
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5. (C) Deputy Director of the Nizhniy Novgorod-based United
Civil Front Mikhail Yevdokimov March 26 attributed city
overkill to Mayor Bulavinov's efforts to convince the Kremlin
that he had the city well in hand as his current term of
office comes to an end.


6. (C) Svetlana Gannushkina of the NGO Civil Assistance told
us March 26 that she had asked GOR Human Rights Ombudsman
Vladimir Lukin to intervene on March 24. Lukin, she said,
had immediately via telephone urged moderation on Bulavinov.
Gannushkina believed Lukin's telephone call may have
restrained city authorities from filing criminal charges
against any of the participants. (The media report, however,
that 29 participants may face administrative charges.)

MOSCOW 00001310 002 OF 002



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Movement Leaders Absent
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7. (C) Notably absent on march day were "Other Russia"
luminaries Garry Kasparov, National Bolshevik Party Eduard
Limonov, ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and political
activist Irina Khakamada. Kasparov was reportedly traveling
in Germany on business, while Limonov may have been
preoccupied in Moscow with GOR efforts to shut down his
movement on charges of extremism.

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Suggested Press Guidance
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8. (SBU) Embassy suggests the following press guidance for
use in responding to inquiries about the march:

-- We are very concerned about the detention and beating of
political opposition activists in Nizhniy Novgorod, who were
attempting to participate in a peaceful protest, called the
"march of dissent."

-- A march earlier this month in St. Petersburg was marred by
similar, heavy-handed police behavior.

-- The actions of the local authorities in St. Petersburg and
Nizhniy Novgorod raise serious questions about the Russian
government's commitment to freedom of assembly and expression.

-- We urge the Russian government to respect freedom of the
press, speech, and assembly, and to adhere fully to
international standards for the protection of human rights.

-- (If asked): Has the USG raised its concerns with the GOR?
We have expressed our concerns to the Russian government,
and have urged it to respect the right to freedom of assembly.

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Comment
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9. (C) The city and law enforcement authorities' overreaction
in Nizhniy Novgorod is likely a by-product of several
factors:

-- the precedent set by the Matvienko administration's
handling of the March 3 St. Petersburg march,

-- exaggerated fears about the possibly volatile behavior of
National Bolshevik Party participants,

-- inexperience in that formerly-closed city in coping with
opposition street activity,

-- a desire to prove to the Kremlin that everything is under
control,

-- a consensus among those in power that those who have
rejected electoral politics, however constrained that
environment may be, are beyond the pale.


10. (C) Mission is conveying our concern about the behavior
of the authorities to relevant GOR officials, including the
MFA and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin.
BURNS