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Liberals Give Police Tips on Reforming

The Moscow Times, February 26, 2010

By Alexander Bratersky

President Dmitry Medvedev's police reforms will turn into a sham if the public is excluded from the process and other law enforcement agencies are left untouched, opposition politicians and human rights activists said Thursday.

“It is impossible to reform the Interior Ministry without reforming the prosecutor's office and the justice system,” Yabloko party leader Sergei Mitrokhin said at a round table organized by the Moscow police to discuss the reforms with the public...

Sergei Mitrokhin: the reform of the interior should begin from the “clean hands” operation

Press Release. February 25, 2010

Round table “The Reform of the Interior Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society” initiated by Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO Andrei Babushkin took place in the press centre of the Moscow Interior department on February 25.

Representatives of human rights organisations including such renowned figures as Ludmila Alexeyeva and Valery Borschyov participated in the round table. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin also participated in the discussion. “The interior needs not simply to make staff reduction, but anti-corruption cleaning,” Mitrokhin said.

YABLOKO to organise round table “The Reform of the Interior Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society”

Press Release. February 24, 2010

Round table “The Reform of the Interior Must Meet the Expectations of the Civil Society” will be conducted on the initiative of Andrei Babushkin, Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO and Co-Chair of the Human Rights faction of the party in the press centre of the Moscow Interior Department, on Thursday, February 25.

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin will participate in the round table. Other guest speakers are:
Ludmila Alexeyeva, the Moscow Helsinki Group,
Valery Gribakin, head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Interior Ministry of the RF,
Alexander Zharov, Ombudsman for the Moscow Region,
Alexander Zimin, leading expert of the Moscow University of the Interior Ministry,
Svetlana Gannushkina, Grazhdanskoye Sodeistviye (Civil Support)
Vladimir Lukin, Russia’s ombudsman,
Alexander Muzikantsky, Moscow ombudsman,
Ella Pamfilova, Civil Society and Human Rights Council under the President of the RF,
Lev Ponomaryov, For the Human Rights movement,
Genry Reznik, Moscow Bar Association...

Brief Outline of Sergei Mitrokhin’s Report at the State Council meeting

January 22, 2010

The key problem of Russia’s political system is monopolism which manifests itself in three major ways:

1) bodies of power and parliaments of all levels demonstrate monopoly of one party representing the interests of bureaucracy and large-scale business merged with it;
2) complete dominance of the executive over the judicial authority;
3) dictate of one social class – the bureaucracy – over all other social groups.
Thus, the present political system generally reproduces the Soviet system, with its key flaw – the monopoly of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on power.
Such monopoly led to the insensibility of the political system of the USSR to the challenges of the time. Attempts to reform the system were considerably belated and that, consequently, led to a collapse of the USSR.

Assessment of Russia’s Present Political System and the Principles of Its Development. Brief note for the State Council meeting (January 22, 2010) by Dr.Grigory Yavlinsky, member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee. January 22, 2010

...In the absence of serious attention to the raise of political culture and freedom of speech, elections in our country will become a fest of demagogues and populists killing the system.

The main problems and goals of the society and the state in the field of creation of modern political system and political reform do not represent a mere correction, they mean bringing of life and sense into Russian politics.

Only in this case it will be of interest for the people and will be worthy of their attention. To achieve this we should first of all raise the level of public consciousness and open opportunities for public participation in the power and politics.

We think that to prevent dissolution of the Russian political system in 2010 – 2012 we need to undertake the following gradual but nonetheless decisive steps...

The residents of the city of Klin and YABLOKO picket by the office of the Public prosecutor of the Moscow Region

Press Release, January 14, 2010

“Klin Should Get an Honest Public Prosecutor,” – such is the slogan of pickets conducted by the residents of the Klin district, Moscow Region, and YABLOKO by the office of the Public prosecutor of the Moscow Region.

Oleg Stalnov, Public Prosecutor of Klin, was dismissed from his post and downgraded to the post of deputy Public Prosecutor of the city of Domodedovo. It has been unclear who may take the post in Klin.The residents of the city and representatives of public organisations conducted several actions and rallies demanding to dismiss Oleg Stalnov due to the growth of corruption and general negligence of his office. Thus in September 2009, YABLOKO initiated a rally of about 500 people demanding to dismiss Stalnov.

After his dismissal YABLOKO, the Society for Preservation of Nature of the Moscow Region and the Farmers’ Front sent a letter to the Public Prosecutor General demanding to “control the appointment of a new Public Prosecutor for Klin and ensure that Klin would get an honest Public Prosecutor”.

YABLOKO’s Political Committee determined the tasks of the responsible opposition in modern Russia

Press-Release, September 26, 2009

A meeting of YABLOKO’s Political Committee took place on September 26. The Committee developed the goals of the party in modern Russia.

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin indicated in his report to the Committee that a system of bureaucratic cronyism developed in modern Russia. Its goal is to maintain in power one and the same ruling group for an unlimited period of time.

“Supporting a number of President Medvedev’s recent statements on the need of modernisation in Russia YABLOKO states that their realisation is incompatible with the real goals of this system,” Mitrokhin said.

Mitrokhin expressed his certainty that this system “can lead Russia to stagnation reminiscent of the stagnation of the Brezhnev period in the USSR, when the political elite lost the chance to conduct modernisation of the USSR, thus dooming it to disintegration”.

According to Mitrokhin, the task of the opposition is to offer an alternative to the political course of the country present leaders, such as building of a modern state based on democratic institutes and procedures.

Municipal head fired due to violations
Press Release August 4, 2009
“YABLOKO supports the decision [of the Moscow Mayor] to fire the head of the North-Western administrative district of Moscow Viktor Kozlov”, said YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin. According to Mitrokhin, such decision of the Mayor of Moscow demonstrates that he decided to reform his team. Mitrokhin also added that “the fact that Kozlov was sacked confirmed that YABLOKO’s criticism of the ex-Prefect was correct”.

YABLOKO Presents Its Anti-Crisis Plan
Press Release June 30, 2009
Boosting of domestic demand, fight against corruption and protection of human rights should become top priorities for Russia’s domestic policies. Such goals are envisaged by YABLOKO’s Anti-Crisis Plan for Russia.

YABLOKO opposes the transfer of exclusive rights to represent the state in bankruptcy cases to the Federal Service for Financial Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy (FSFRB)
Press Release, February 19, 2003
Deputies from the YABLOKO faction think that the decision to appoint the Federal Service for Financial Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy (FSFRB) as the only plenipotentiary agency representing the Russian Federation in bankruptcy cases is erroneous.

YABLOKO proposes liquidating the Federal Service for Financial Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy (FSFRB)
Press Release, January 23, 2003
YABLOKO's deputies propose liquidating the Federal Service for Financial Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy (FSFRB). On Wednesday, January 22, 2003, deputies from the YABLOKO faction Igor Artemyev and Sergei Ivanenko submitted to the Duma a corresponding draft law "On Amendments and Addenda to the Federal Law "On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)".

Deputy of the City Duma from Yabloko attacked in Tomsk
Press release, November 02, 2001
On November 2, 2001, about 11 p.m. a deputy of the Tomsk City Duma from Yabloko, Chairman of the Commission for Fight with Corruption of the City Duma, member of the Yabloko party and ex-official of the Tomsk Public Prosecutor Office Eugeni Krotov was attacked.

Yabloko will aid in the search for the perpetrators and organisers of the contract killing of one of the leaders of opposition in Karachaevo-Cherkessiya Keram Semyonov
Press release, September 24, 2001
The Yabloko party will closely monitor the investigation of the murder (on September 17, 2001) of Keram Semyonov, one of the leaders of the opposition movement Vozrozhdeniye (“Renaissance”) in Karachaevo-Cherkessiya and candidate to the post of Mayor of the city of Karachayevsk and provide assistance in urgent identification of the perpetrators and organisers of the contract killing.

Yabloko initiates the audit of the use of multibillion state credits

On March 14, 2001, the State Duma, on the initiative of Alexander Shishlov, member of the Yabloko faction, instructed the Audit Chamber of the RF to conduct an audit of the efficiency and viability of spending in 2000 and the first quarter of 2001 of credits (loans)obtained in accordance with the Programme of the State Foreign Loans of the RF for 2000-2001.

Sergei Ivanenko: we must tackle corruption ourselves

Corruptive-prone legal consciousness

Sergei Mitrokhin’s blog at the Echo Moskvi web-site,

September 18, 2009

Yesterday I made a speech at the State Duma hearings devoted to the problems of city building. The main idea of my speech was as follows: the notorious “vertical of power” is the main source of corruption today.

The modern state President Medvedev is dreaming about does not imply only the vertical of the executive power, it should also imply horizontal of control over the executive by the legislative and the judicial power.

When such a horizontal is lacking, we have an archaic and weak state, or a corrupt state, to put it shortly, instead of a modern and strong state. I told this to Dmitry Medvedev during our meeting on June 11.

The term “modern state” shifted from that discussion to the topic of the conference in Yaroslavl. The term shifted, however, the mechanisms of democratic governing I was speaking about did not.

St. Petersburg Governor and YABLOKO Will Fight Corruption Together
By Yelena Rotkevich, Izvestia, November 28, 2003
Yavlinsky held several meetings in St. Petersburg on November 26; his conversation with Matviyenko lasted one-and-a-half hours rather than the scheduled 30 minutes, focusing primarily on cooperation between the party and the new municipal administration, as well as joint efforts to "overcome the bane of corruption" which has taken shape in St. Petersburg in recent years.

Russia's Biggest Problem is the State
By Anna Skornyakova, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 2, 2003
As long as law enforcement agencies are virtually uncontrolled and can blackmail businessmen and participate in the redistribution of property, any qualitative improvement in the situation is out of question, something noted by virtually all the politicians and political scientists at the meeting of the Open Forum Club devoted to the prospects of Russia's economy and the problems of relations between the authorities and business.

Grigory Yavlinsky: Russian politics is deliberately being transformed into a farce
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky by Tatyana Chesnokova, Rosbalt, September 25, 2003
"This situation has been deliberately created to make less and less people engage actively in politics and lead more and more of the population to readily accept decision-making on their behalf by third parties".

"We'll arrange the trial of the century for RAO UES"
By Boris Sapozhnikov, gazeta.ru, September 2, 2003
"I cannot believe that Nemtsov and Khakamada know nothing of PR-campaigns that require such huge expenses, worthy of being included in the Guinness Book of Records."

Reforms that corrupted Russia
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Financial Times (UK), September 3, 2003
In those years two Marxist dogmas, albeit disguised in liberal phraseology, still shaped economic policy. The first was...

Russian Oil Man Arrested; Allies Blame Politics
By Sabrina Tavernise, The New York Times, July 4, 2003
In a political wrangle of a kind not seen in Russia since the early days of Vladimir V. Putin's presidency, the authorities have arrested a top executive at the financial group that owns Russia's largest oil company.

Duma Deputies Call For Extraordinary Measures Against Corruption
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, May 27, 2003
"Because of corruption, the long bloody butchery in Chechnya continues; the economy is stagnant; the national wealth and resources are being mercilessly plundered; industrial production and small businesses are being strangled; and arbitrary bureaucratic rule prevails..."

Bankruptcy in YABLOKO’s Variant
By Oksana Karpova, Vremya MN, January 24, 2003
YABLOKO’s deputies are fighting against corruption. Russian parliament members propose liquidating one of the "bureaucrats’ pork barrel troughs - the Federal Service for Financial Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy (FSFRB).

Duma Deputy Mitrokhin to Fight for Evacuation of Mayak Area
Bellona, October 25, 2002
MOSCOW - If you ask Yury Ryzhkov, press secretary for the Mayak Chemical Combine in the Urals town of Ozersk — birthplace of the Soviet atomic bomb project and home to Russia's single working radioactive waste reprocessing plant — he will tell you there are fewer better places to live.

The Kirsan saga
Why the Kremlin can't do anything about President Iliumzhinov of Kalmykia
By Inessa Slavutinskaya, Profil, No. 25, July 2, 2001, pp. 12-15
The Auditing Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin suffered a crushing defeat on June 22. The team of auditors he had sent to Kalmykia (in part, with the goal of proving misuse of state funds by President Kirsan Iliumzhinov) did find some infractions - but these were so small that they can be handled within standard procedures. This means that the expected major criminal charges in Kalmykia are unlikely to materialize.

Liberalism for Everybody
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Obshaya Gazeta, June 28, 2001, p. 7
One of the main results of the past Russian reforms is disillusionment of the people over democratic principles and liberal values. Russia has covered a lot of ground over the past ten years. The totalitarian political system and command-and-distribution economy have been left in the past.

Who Taught Crony Capitalism to Russia?

The Wall Street Journal Europe March 19, 2001
By Janine R. Wedel
Ms. Wedel, author of "Collision and Collusion: The Strange Case of Western Aid to Eastern Europe," is associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Russia's Road to Corruption

How the Clinton Administration Exported Government Instead of Free Enterprise and Failed the Russian People.

Full version:

http://policy.house.gov/russia/fullrussia/fullrussia.html

Report Date: September 2000

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