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