Picket against war in Chechnya held in Moscow despite authorities' ban

An antiwar picket banned by the authorities was held on Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow on March 18, at 5:30 p.m. Its participants have been gathering in the Novopushkinsky park every Thursday for four years to protest against the war in Chechnya. But the permission for the holding of the action was unexpectedly canceled on March 11. Later the prefecture refused to consider the application for the holding of the picket on March 18. The picketers have found such a reply to be illegal and plan to appeal against the decision judicially without delay.

In spite of the ban, people went to Pushkinskaya Square anyway. They went to show their disagreement with the prefecture's decision and to answer journalists' questions. Formally, there was no picket: nobody held antiwar banners and put in claims. The only thing the picketers did not refused to do was to wear badges with the inscription "Stop the Chechen war!"

It was the likely reason why the police did not reacted to the picket. It is worth noting that about 15 people had usually been holding the picket. But on March 18 many people came, in particular, activists of the Memorial society and the Movement for Human Rights, and former dissidents. It is not surprising as the fact that the dispersal of peaceful demonstrations begins right after the election puts them on their guard.

Participants in the picket rate the denial to consider their application as an alarming fact, which does more than just run counter to the Russian legislation but implies the authorities' new line of suppressing dissidence and concealing the real sate of affairs in Chechnya.

Editors note: See also the article "Antiwar picket to be held in Moscow on March 18".