 By John Crowfoot This view from across the border in Ukraine continued: “Dadin is well-known to Ukrainians for his active support for Euromaidan, which is likely to have contributed to this appalling sentence. It is also probably part of a mounting crackdown on peaceful opposition to the current regime.” Halya Coynash’s report about the Kremlin’s first use of Article 212.1 is well worth reading, together with recent items, of course, on this website (see “Person of the Week” Weekly Update, 14 December 2015, 46 (188) ) A campaign for repeal  An appeal on 19 December to fellow activists [see Facebook page Free Ildar Dadin - left is the title logo from this page] gives a glimpse of the mood among Dadin’s fellow protestors and outlines the actions they may take over the coming months.  We held a meeting today during which we decided on our future strategy. We determined the means by which we shall try to repeal Article 212.1: by working with the Constitutional Court and by putting pressure on the authorities. What can activists do? One, they can distribute information. They can write and retweet news about Ildar on social networks and develop logos for avatars. They can put up stickers, hand out leaflets and wear badges (we have to design those). Two, there should be contact with official bodies in Russia and abroad. That means organising petitions, targeted picketing and street actions; mass appeals to embassies, human rights organisations and official bodies. Three, we must work with the potential victims of Article 212.1, providing them with brief instructions on how to deal with the police and the courts. In addition, we should draw up a list of organisations, political parties, groups of activists and media outlets that are prepared to join together in the fight against Article 212.1. If someone wants to start work on one of these a particular, contact us.” This address was delivered after a meeting to discuss future tactics by Anastasia Zotova [pictured left - photo from Facebook page, where a film of the speech can also be found], Dadin’s fellow-protestor. She is also his girl-friend. * “Ildar Dadin was sentenced to three years in jail by a Moscow court for repeated anti-government street protests. He is the first person to be jailed using the law, which was introduced in 2014 and punishes repeated breaches of public assembly rules.” |
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