DISSENTERS' MARCH CANCELLED BUT PARTICIPANTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001277

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI RS
SUBJECT: DISSENTERS' MARCH CANCELLED BUT PARTICIPANTS
DETAINED NONETHELESS


Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reason: 1.4 (d).


1. (C) Summary: On May 6, Other Russia attempted to organize
a Dissenters' March to put the opposition's mark on the
inauguration of Russia's new President, Dmitriy Medvedev.
When Moscow City authorities refused to issue permits for the
march or a static demonstration, Other Russia decided to
cancel it shortly before it was scheduled to begin. Police
arrested Other Russia members around the time of the march,
evidently in violation of a verbal agreement between the
group and the police. Marina Litvinovich, Gary Kasparov's
assistant, indicated most of the 50-60 detentions occurred
away from the site of the cancelled rally. Neither Other
Russia leader Gary Kasparov or National Bolshevik leader
Eduard Limonov participate in the event. End summary.

The Rally that Wasn't
--------------


2. (C) Other Russia planned to hold a rally and Dissenters'
March in Moscow on May 6 the day before the inauguration of
Dmitriy Medvedev as Russia's third president. Moscow
authorities refused to give permission for the march, even
though leaders of the march offered a compromise in which
Other Russia would agree to hold a rally at Turgenev Square
near the center of the city, rather than a march from the
nearby Chistiy Prudi metro station to Slavyanskaya Square in
the center of Moscow.


3. (SBU) By 5:45 p.m. a large contingent of police and news
reporters had gathered by the Chistiy Prudi metro station in
northeast Moscow where the rally was to be held starting at
6:00 p.m. The police numbered about 150 with about 10 large
vehicles. The press corps competed with the police in size
numbering perhaps more than 150. International press was
present with a large number of TV cameras and microphones. A
considerable number of still photographers surrounded the
site as well.


4. (SBU) Many rush hour commuters wormed their way through
this rather large crowd making identification of any rally
participants particularly difficult. The police had a large
speaker system and routinely asked those at the site to
continue on their way. They also asked the press not to
obstruct the flow of public transportation. We saw one
person arrested, put into a truck and removed from the scene.
The swarm of media covered the scene.


5. (C) At about 6:00 p.m. Denis Bilunov, executive director
of Gary Kasparov's United Civic Front, executive director of
United Civic Front, used the police loudspeaker to announce
that the rally had been cancelled. He indicated that because
Moscow authorities had been unwilling to permit the rally,
the organization did not want to endanger the health and
security of the people. He asked the people at the site to
disperse. Marina Litvinovich, Kasparov's assistant, told us
that Bilunov had come to an agreement with the police whereby
he would cancel the rally and in exchange the police would
not arrest any one who showed up for the rally. RIA-Novosti
announced the cancellation at about that time on its website.



6. (C) Litvinovich indicated that while the site near the
metro station where we were monitoring events remained calm,
police detained over 60 people shortly before 6:00 p.m. on
their way to the rally point -- out of sight of the gathered
press. The daily Kommersant reported the number detained at
about 50. She told us that the detainees, mainly young
people, were taken as a preventive measure. Litvinovich
charged that the police had reneged on the bargain they had
struck with Bilunov.


7. (C) Litvinovich said that most detainees were held
overnight and that about half were awaiting a hearing
concerning further detention. According to her, most were
detained for violating Russian law requiring citizen
cooperation with the police. However, she maintained that
the police did not have sufficient cause to detain people
under this section.


8. (C) During the affair, neither Eduard Limonov nor Gary
Kasparov appeared in the area. Kommersant speculated that
they feared an arrest that would entail 15 days in jail and
would have prevented them from attending the upcoming
National Assembly meeting planned in St. Petersburg May 17-18.
BURNS